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The  Bible 
and  Missions 


Br 

HELEN  BARRETT  MONTGOMERY 


1 .10.2.0. 


^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^^ 


Purchased   by  the   Hamill   Missionary   Fund. 


BV  2073  .M6  1920 
Montgomery,  Helen  Barrett, 

1861-1934. 
The  Bible  and  missions 


HELEN  BARRETT  AIONTGOMERY 

Author  of  Four  United  Study  Text-books,  Lecturer  on  All 

(Photograph  used  without  permission) 


THE  BIBLE  AND 

MISSIONS     /.^swifSfi 

JUL  10  19 

BY  V^ 

HELEN  BARRETT  MONTGOMERY     \^OeiCAL  %l^ 


'*This  is  the  Book  that  'with  authority' 
GDmforts,   commands,    both    wounds    and    heals 

the  heart; 
Not  like  a  poem,  or  a  history, 
Nor  yet  like  the  flute  and  lute  with  all  their  art, 
What  lack  I?  do  I  tremble?  weep?  or  frown? 
Come,  let  me  take  this  sovereign  Bible  down." 

Sarah  N.  Cleghorny  in  American  Magazine. 


Published  by 

The  Central  Committee  ot<  the  United  Study  of  Foreign  Missions 

West  Medford,  Mass. 


Copyright,  1920 

The  Central  Committee  on  the  United  Study 

OF  Foreign  Missions 


The  Vermont  Printing  Co. 
Brattleboro,  Vermont,  U.  S.  A. 


FOREWORD 

The  Central  Committee  on  the  United  Study 
of  Foreign  Missions  celebrates  its  twentieth  anni- 
versary by  the  publication  of  the  text-book.  The 
Bible  and  Missions  by  Helen  Barrett  Montgomery. 
In  these  days  of  reconstruction  of  Church  and  State, 
it  is  important  that  we  come  back  to  the  authority 
in  the  Word  of  God  for  our  great  missionary  enter- 
prise. Plans  of  men,  however  wise,  change  with  the 
changing  years  and  with  crises  in  history,  but  the 
plan  of  God  is  eternal.  We  rest  our  study  this  year 
on  his  own  missionary  message.  The  year  1920 
has  been  appointed  by  Bible  societies  in  Great  Britain 
and  America  as  Bible  Year,  which  gives  an  added 
reason  for  a  careful  study  of  this  subject  and  a  wide 
effort  to  secure  a  more  general  use  of  the  Bible 
throughout  the  world,  especially  in  lands  and  among 
peoples  who  have  never  had  the  opportunity  to  read 
the  Word  of  God. 

The  Committee  is  indebted  to  the  American  Bible 
Society  for  many  of  the  unique  and  valuable  illustra- 
tions in  the  book. 

Mrs.  Henry  W.  Peabody,  Chairman. 
Miss  Olivia  H.  Lawrence. 
Mrs.  Frank  Mason  North. 
Mrs.  James  A.  Webb,  Jr. 
Mrs.  a.  V.  Pohlman. 
Miss  Alice  M.  Kyle. 
Deaconess  Henrietta  Goodwin. 
Miss  Grace  T.  Colburn,  Secretary. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

PART  ONE 

Chapter      I.     The  Missionary  Message  of  the  Old 

Testament 7 

Chapter  II.  The  Missionary  Message  of  the  New- 
Testament 54 

PART  TWO 

Chapter  III.     Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue 96 

Chapter   IV.     The  Travels  of  the  Book 141 

Chapter     V.     The   Influence   of  the    Book   on   the 

Nations 167 

Chapter   VI.     The  Leaves  of  the  Tree 198 

A  Brief  Reading  List 229 

Index 233 

LIST  OF  illustrations 

Faci.vo 
Page 

Helen  Barrett  Montgomery Frontispiece 

Thirty  Million  Bibles 9 

Mandarin  Company  of  Revisers,  191 5,  China 24 

Girls  of  Kemendine  School,  Burma 32 

Buddhist  Woman's  Society  .  .  r 41 

Scripture  Committee  of  the  North  Siam  Mission  ....  56 

Telegra.m  Sent  by  President  of  China 73 

Hon.  Wang  K'ai  Wen,  Peking,  China 88 

Mr.  M.atsuura  Recommending  God's  Word 105 

Sellin:^  Bibles  in  the  Philippines 120 

Letters  from  China 137 

The  Old,  Old  Story  in  the  Philippines 152 

Miss  Anna  Johnson — Mr.  Wm.  McPherson i6t 

The  New  Phonetic  Script,  China 169 

Women  of  China  Learning  to  Read 182 

Amelia  Josephine  Burr 194 


THE  BIBLE  AND  MISSIONS 
PART  ONE 

OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  I. 

aim:  To  show  that  the  Bible  is  God's  missionary  text-book;  that 
the  missionary  message,  although  most  clearly  revealed  in 
the  New  Testament,  is  woven  into  the  fabric  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  definitely  proclaimed  in  its  every  part. 

L      THE  MISSIONARY  CHARACTER  OF  THE   BIBLE   SEEN   IN   ITS    ES- 
SENCE AND  SUBSTANCE. 


Its  topics  the  great  fundamentals  of  human  thought. 


2.  Its  style,  uniquely  adapted  to  translation. 

3.  Its    reticence;    the    absence   of  crude  cosmogonies  that 
weigh  down  other  religions. 

4.  Its  psychology,  a  picture  gallery  of  essential  humanity. 

5.  Its  social  passion,  humane  legislation,  and  messages  of 
the  prophets. 

6.  Its  literary  greatness,  impossible  to  exhaust  or  outgrow. 

7.  Its  doctrine  of  God.  The  infinitely  high,  yet  infinitely 
near. 

All  these  and  other  qualities  fit  it  to  be  the  Book  of  Man. 

II.    THE    MISSIONARY    CHARACTER    OF    THE    BIBLE    IS    SEEN    IN    ITS 
POSITIVE  TEACHINGS. 

God's  Plan  of  Salvation,  laid  down  in  the  Old  Testament. 
I.     Missionary  elements  in  the  Law. 

a.  Its  Theism.  d.     Its  prophetic  note. 

b.  Unity  of  mankind.        e.     The  Angel  of  the  Presence. 

r  Tragedy  of  Israel's 

c.  Enlarging  circles  of  blessing  ^  failure  to  apprehend 

[  trusteeship. 

1.     Missionary  Elements  in  the  Historic  Books. 

a.  Discipline  of  the  Chosen  People. 

b.  Widening  interests  seen  in  Solomon's  Prayer. 

c.  God's  gracious  calling  of  those  without  the  Law. 


The  Bible  and  Missions 

3.  Missionary  Message  in  the  Poetical  Books. 

a.  Poets  the  true  seers  and  revealers  of  God's  wider 
purposes. 

b.  Ruth  and  Job  illustrations  of  wider  vision. 

c.  Psalms,  the  universal  hymn  book. 

fThe  Heart  of  God. 

d.  Particular  messages  of  the  Psalms-<  The  Messianic 

[  Kingdom. 

e.  The  Psalms  in  the  life  of  Jesus. 

4.  Missionary  Message  of  the  Prophets. 

a.     Missionary  conceptions 

Israel,  God's  trustee  for  man. 


common  to  the  prophets- 


Unity  of  human  history. 
God's  disciplinary  Providences. 
_^The  Coming  Kingdom. 
b.     Missionary  Message  of  individual  prophets. 

Amos,  God's  righteous  reign  over  all  mankind;  true 

religion  spiritual. 
Hosea,  God  loves  his  people. 
Micah,  Forecast  of  universal  peace. 
Isaiah,  God's  righteousness;  Providential  government 

of  the  world;  vision  of  the  Suffering  Servant  and  of 

Redeemed  Humanity. 
Jeremiah,  his  call;  a  type  of  Christ. 
Ezekiel,  The  first  gospel  for  the  individual;  the  hireling 

shepherd;  the  healing  waters. 
Haggai  and  Zechariah,  Truth  to  go  forth  from  Jerusa- 
lem; Messiah  to  speak  peace  to  the   heathen;    his 

dominion  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Habbakuk,  God's  making  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise 

him;  the  glory  of  God  to  cover  the  earth. 
Malachi,  God's  name  revered  among  the  heathen;  the 

coming  of  the  Messenger. 
Daniel,  The  Everlasting  Kingdom  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
Joel,  The  outpouring  of  the  Spirit. 
Jonah,  God's  thrusting  forth  his    messengers;    God's 

free  grace  over  all  his  works. 

III.       SUMMARY    OF    GROUND    COVERED. 


THE  BIBLE  AND  MISSIONS 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE  MISSIONARY  MESSAGE  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

"That  Book  is  not  the  book  of  a  nation,  but  the  Book  of  nations,  because  it 
places  before  us  the  fortunes  of  one  nation  as  a  symbol  unto  all  the  rest,  because 
it  connects  the  history  of  this  one  people  with  the  origin  of  the  world,  and  by  a 
series  of  earthly  and  spiritual  developments,  of  facts  necessary  and  accidental 
continues  it  unto  the  remotest  regions  of  the  farthest  eternities."  Goethe. 

The  Missionary:  The  Missionary  has  a  Book  which  he 
his  Book.  takes  with  him  on  all  his  wanderings; 

unless,  in  truth,  it  be  the  Book,  which  drives  him 
forth  on  his  great  adventures.  Certain  it  is  that  the 
biggest  word  for  missions  is  the  one  spoken  by  the 
Book.  Underneath  all  the  smaller  special  appeals 
of  the  age,  of  races  and  nations,  of  terrible  sufferings 
and  appalling  needs,  is  the  great  diapason  of  the 
Word — "Go  ye;  I  am  with  you.'* 
God's  Mission  Reading  the  Bible  meticulously  for 
Text-book.  proof  texts  and  argument,  it  is  possi- 

ble to  escape  its  unmistakable  drift;  reading  it  in 
the  large  and  simply  as  it  was  written,  its  mission- 
ary message  is  inescapable.  For  the  Church  to  re- 
capture this  great  Word  is  to  regain  that  'first,  fine, 
careless  rapture'  in  which  the  Early  Church  set 
forth  to  win  the  world.  If,  leaving  all  little  mission 
studies  for  a  time,  we  could  bend  our  minds  and 
souls  and  strength  to  the  study  of  God's  Mission 
Study  Text-book,  the  world  could  no  longer  fetter 
the  Church. 


8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Missionary  Char-  The  missionary  character  of  the 
acter  of  the  Bible  Bible  is  clearly  seen  in  two  great 
Twofold.  categories;  (i)   in  its  essential  char- 

acter; (2)  in  its  expressed  purpose  and  plan. 
I.  The  Bible  Mis- The  Bible  is  in  its  very  subconscious 
sionary  in  Essence  substancc  missionary.  Not  only  be- 
and  Substance.  cause  of  what  it  advocatcs  or  pur- 
poses or  states,  but  because  of  what  it  is,  the  Bible  is 
the  great  Missionary  Charter  of  the  Church.  Just 
as  in  measuring  a  man  it  is  not  so  much  his  conscious 
words  and  deeds  that  count,  but  his  very  atmosphere 
and  selfhood.  The  Bible  being  what  it  is  cannot  avoid 
becoming  the  Book  of  Man.  It  is  foreordained  to 
universality. 

Take  its  topics.  They  are  the  great  fundamentals 
in  which  all  men  alike  are  concerned;  life  and  death, 
sin  and  righteousness,  God  and  the  soul.  It  sets  out 
to  answer  questions  that  rise  in  the  soul  of  man, 
savage  and  philosopher,  saint  and  sinner,  white  and 
black  alike,  and  will  not  be  silenced.  Whence  am  I? 
What  does  life  mean.^  Where  am  I  going.^  To  what 
purpose  is  it  all.?  Its  answers  have  a  quiet  authority 
like  the  mountains,  which  do  not  ask  our  poor 
consenting. 

Consider  its  style:  so  styleless  that  the  Book  can 
be  translated  into  any  language  without  loss  of  ener- 
gy; so  devoid  of  ornament  that  its  poetry  in  all  its 
naked  beauty  is  poetry  to  Occident  as  to  Orient;  so 
free  from  all  self-consciousness  or  pose  that  its  narra- 
tives need  depend  on  no  adjective  or  descriptive 
phrase  to  heighten  their  effectiveness  or  drive  home 
their  point.  Some  of  the  most  precious  treasures  of 
the  world's  literature  are  pale  or  tasteless  in  trans- 


Drop  Eight  8tbles  at 

each  telegraph  post  from 
New  York  to  San  rraneisco 


e:^j2 


Mtev  (31  tripiS 
there  will  be  imOOO  left 

of  the  30,000,000  BffiLES 

^Scripture  Portions  sold,1918-19 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  9 

lation,  because  their  beauty  is  so  largely  in  the 
marriage  of  thought  to  sound  and  rhythm.  The 
Koreans  say  of  the  Bible,  "It  can  not  be  so  beautiful 
in  any  other  speech  as  in  our  Korean.  It  speaks  to 
our  souls." 

Of  no  other  great  literature  can  it  be  said  that  in 
translation  it  actually  supplants  the  original  in  the 
world's  esteem. 

Great  in  its  reticence  the  Book  is  adapted  to  a  long  life 
of  continued  influence.  Consider  the  handicap  which 
any  sacred  literature  written  in  the  world's  childhood 
has  to  surmount;  those  impossible  cosmogonies  of  the 
Egyptians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans;  that  central 
mountain  of  Buddhism  with  its  seven  encircling 
ocean  belts,  each  millions  of  miles  in  circumference; 
that  Chinese  view  of  the  great  Demiurge  at  work  on 
his  world: 

"His  breath  made  the  wind,  his  voice  the  thunder;  his  left 
eye  the  sun,  his  right  eye  the  moon;  his  legs  and  arms  and  fingers 
and  toes  into  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth;  his  blood  into  the 
rivers;  his  muscles  into  the  strata  of  the  earth;  his  flesh  into  the 
soil;  his  hair  into  the  constellations;  his  skin  and  hair  on  it  into 
plants  and  trees;  his  teeth  and  bones  into  the  metals;  the  sweat 
of  his  body  into  rain,  and  the  parasites  upon  him  impregnated  by 
the  wind  into  the  human  species." 

The  Three  Religions  of  China, 

Soothill,  Page  177. 

Over  against  these  and  all  the  other  puerilities 
and  coarsenesses  with  which  the  great  ethnic  Scrip- 
tures are  weighed  down,  place  the  austere  beauty  of 
the  first  chapter  of  Genesis: 

"In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth." 

The  Bible  has  all  the  simplicity  of  the  early  ages. 


lo  The  Bible  and  Missions 

It  does  not  attempt  to  express  in  scientific  language 
what  would  have  been  incomprehensible  for  many- 
centuries;  but  in  what  it  does  say  there  is  a  restraint, 
a  reasonableness,  a  greatness,  that  enables  it  to  hold 
its  quiet  way  unashamed,  while  knowledge  is  in- 
creased in  the  earth.  The  student  in  India,  Malay- 
sia, China,  or  Japan  who  must  study  Geography  or 
Astronomy  or  History,  finds  his  confidence  in  his 
sacred  books  undermined.  In  Christian  lands  the 
demoHtion  of  our  false  conceptions  about  the  Bible, 
under  the  impact  of  fresh  knowledge,  only  serves 
to  bring  into  fresh  relief  the  unshaken  Book.  In 
its  omissions,  no  less  than  in  its  statements,  the 
Book  shines  by  contrast. 

In  its  psychology  the  Book  is  ageless.  The  heroes 
of  ancient  Hterature  seem  dwarfed  by  the  centuries. 
Agamemnon,  ^neas,  Beowulf  lose  their  power 
to  stir  our  imagination  or  our  admiration.  But 
about  the  life  stories  of  the  Bible  there  is  a  per- 
ennial, a  universal  charm.  The  men  and  women  of 
the  Bible  are  modern,  ageless.  In  their  temptations 
we  trace  our  own;  in  their  weaknesses  and  in  their 
streng'^li  they  are  contemporary.  With  grave  detach- 
ment the  Bible  sets  them  before  us,  glossing  nothing, 
extenuating  nothing,  boasting  nothing.  "There  they 
are,  my  men  and  women,  bone  of  your  bone,  flesh  of 
your  fiesh;  look  at  them  and  ponder  on  the  swift 
and  solemn  trust  of  life." 

A  picture  of  This  psychology  of  the  Bible  seems 

humanity.  never  artificial.  They  are  no  puppets, 

but  real  folks,  who  react  as  we  react  under  given 
stimuli.  Hence  their  never-failing  charm,  their  sup- 
ply of  sermonic    material    to    fresh    generations    of 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  ii 

sermonlzers,  their  attraction  to  a  ring  of  African 
faces  lifted  up  by  the  flickering  camp  fire  or  to  a 
college  audience  listening  with  delight  as  the  foibles 
of  Jacob,  the  supplanter,  are  subtly  analyzed  by 
some  keen  lecturer.  Not  least  interesting  on  the 
great  Bible  canvas  are  those  background  faces,  those 
individuals,  those  real  persons  whom  you  recognize 
in  Paul's  thumb-nail  sketches  at  the  end  of  his 
letters.  It  is  in  this  deep  human  interest  that  the 
Bible  meets  and  vanquishes  the  greatest;  so 
long  as  the  most  vital  study  for  mankind  is  man, 
the  Bible's  title  to  universal  love  is  sure.  It  is  full 
of  personalities,  deep  and  rich.  It  develops  personali- 
ty wherever  it  is  read. 

In  its  social  passion  the  Bible  stands  forth  su- 
preme. In  ages  when  the  serf  and  the  slave  had 
no  spokesman,  the  Old  Testament  gave  the  laws 
from  a  God  who  cared.  When  women  and  children 
were  still  considered  as  'impedimenta  in  the  pil- 
grimage of  the  race,  in  the  Bible  a  tender  concern,  a 
growing  respect  were  visible.  The  prophets  thunder- 
ed for  the  poor  in  messages  that  are  today  tracts 
for  the  times,  and  in  the  New  Testament  the  flowers 
of  brotherhood  bloomed  in  the  world's  darkness. 
No  other  sacred  book  even  approaches  the  Bible 
in  this  concern  for  social  values  and  social  obligations. 
The  golden  The  Outstanding  illustration  of  this 

thought  of  the  social  point  of  view  is  found  in  the 
Kingdom.  thought  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 

that  runs  through  the  prophets.  Whether  they  write 
to  a  nation  established  in  its  own  land  or  to  bondsmen 
scattered  in  captivity,  the  thought  of  the  righteous 
rule  of  God  among  men  increasingly  dominates  the 


12  The  Bible  and  Missions 

prophets.  They  are  social  reformers  with  a  ven- 
geance. Across  the  centuries  their  denunciations 
still  throb  with  passionate  protest.  'These  men  were 
so  alive  to  God,"  says  Rauschenbusch,  "that  they 
beat  their  naked  hands  against  jagged  injustice  and 
inhumanity."  The  Bible  alone  of  sacred  books 
fervently  cries  aloud  to  a  God  of  righteousness,  whose 
will  it  is  to  set  up  justice  in  the  earth.  This  one 
characteristic  has  made  it  instinctively  feared  and 
suppressed  by  all  autocracies,  religious  and  political, 
and  beloved  of  the  common  people  in  every  land. 

The  Bible  is  great  literature.  Big  books  make 
their  way.  They  fly  over  seas,  they  tunnel  the 
mountains,  they  bridge  the  centuries.  By  the  com- 
mon consent  of  man  the  Bible  is  supreme  as  htera- 
ture.  In  its  poetry  of  grandeur  and  of  tenderness,  in 
its  sublimity  and  terror,  in  its  tragedy  and  doom, 
in  its  lofty  teachings  and  profound  philosophy,  in 
its  story  of  the  matchless  life  and  words  and  deeds 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  Bible  has  a  unique  claim 
to  be  the  Book  of  books,  the  Book  of  man. 

In  its  presentation  of  the  character  of  God  lies 
the  final  claim  of  the  Bible  to  universal  interest. 
It  is  the  conception  of  God  which  finally  makes  or 
breaks  a  man  or  nation,  as  man  or  nation  tends  to 
be  conformed  to  the  likeness  of  the  being  worshipped. 
The  whole  claim  of  the  Bible  to  universal  reverence 
might  well  be  staked  on  this  alone,  the  God  whom  it 
reveals. 

The  Infinitely  Beginning  with  the  vague  and  inade- 
High  is  Infinitely  quate  idcas  of  God  held  by  a  primi- 
^^^^'  tive  people,  there  is  the  steady  edu- 

cation of  the  nation  in  the  worship  of  one  only  God, 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  13 

infinite  in  power,  awful  in  holiness,  perfect  in  right- 
eousness. Other  books  have  enshrined  great  hymns 
to  the  Creator  and  have  not  unworthily  sung  of  his 
power  and  glory;  but  in  no  other  book  is  there  found 
in  such  combination  and  such  clearness  the  idea 
of  an  infinite  Creator  who  summons  to  himself  not 
only  man's  worship,  but  his  reason;  who  upholds 
and  forgives  as  well  as  judges;  who  demands  justice 
as  well  as  reverence,  and  whose  awful  purity  calls  for 
purity  of  life  and  purpose  in  his  worshippers. 
Failure  of  Ethnic  The  Hindus  have  seen  God's  im- 
Faiths  in  their        manence,   but  not  his  transcendence, 

doctrine  of  God.      J^q^    J^g    J3    j^    j^^^   ^^^   ^^^^  j^Jg    ^^^_ 

verse,  and  so  have  lost  themselves  in  the  fogs  of 
pantheism.  Failing  to  perceive  his  unity,  the  Greek, 
the  Roman,  the  Egyptian,  and  the  Indian  faiths 
sank  into  the  debasing  superstitions  of  idolatry. 
In  all  literature  there  is  not  more  biting  satire  than 
is  poured  upon  the  idolater  in  Isaiah  and  the  Psalms. 
(Isa.  xl;  Psa.  cxv.) 

God's  holiness  and  The  clear  teaching  in  regard  to  the 
God's  goodness,  holiness  of  God  has  made  impossible 
the  divorce  between  religion  and  ethics  wherever 
the  Bible  is  adequately  taught  or  obeyed.  The 
thought  of  God's  holiness  is  supplemented  by  that 
loftiest  and  sweetest  thought  of  God,  clearly  revealed 
in  Jesus  Christ,  his  Fatherly  love  and  compassion. 
God  is  light!  God  is  love!  The  Book  that  reveals 
such  a  God  cannot  be  kept  from  becoming  the  Book 
of  the  race. 

The  Book  begins  In  point  of  fact,  the  essential  char- 
its  joumeyings.  acter  of  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures was  actually  in  process  of  beginning  the  Bible's 


i4  The  Bible  and  Missions 

missionary  pilgrimage  years  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  when  the  Septuagint  translation  into  the 
Greek  language  was  made.  This  is  the  first  instance 
in  history  in  which  the  sacred  books  of  one  nation 
were  translated  into  another  language,  and  in  trans- 
lation far  outstripped  the  original  in  circulation  and 
influence. 

II.  The  Bible  is  While  the  message  of  the  Bible  to 
Missionary  in  its  mankind  is  thus  presupposcd  in  its 
positive  teachings,  ggggj^^i^l  nature  and  character,  we 
are  not  left  without  the  most  clear  and  positive  mis- 
sionary teachings.  These  are  found  in  germ  in  the 
Old  Testament  and  are  fully  developed  in  the  New. 
This  is  what  we  should  expect,  as  the  Old  Testament 
finds  its  completion  and  justification  in  the  New. 
What  is  not  so  clearly  evident  regarding  the  plan 
while  the  foundation  is  being  laid  and  the  walls  are 
rising,  is  evident  when  the  complete  structure  is 
inspected. 

God's  Plan  of  Jesus  himself  rejoiced  in  spirit  as 
the  Ages.  the  deep  things  of  God  dawned  on 

men  in  the  springtime  of  the  Coming  Kingdom. 
"I  thank  thee.  Father,"  he  cried,  "that  thou  hast 
hidden  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
revealed  them  unto  babes."  There  is  a  sense  of 
rapture  in  the  letters  of  Paul,  as  he  contemplates 
God's  Plan  of  the  Ages  now  so  clearly  seen  in  Christ. 
For  there  is  a  Plan,  although  the  phrase  **plan  of 
salvation,"  so  popular  in  times  past,  is  now  seldom 
heard.  The  trouble  is  not  with  the  phrase  or  the  idea 
behind  it,  but  with  its  misapplication  and  misuse. 
We  do  not  send  out  missionaries  to  proclaim  a  **plan 
of  salvation,"    but    Christ   and    the   power   of  his 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  15 

resurrection.  We  are  not  saved  by  a  '*plan,"  but  by 
a  Person.  We  do  not  exhibit  the  working  drawings 
of  our  house;  we  show  our  friends  through  our 
home;  nevertheless  the  architect  had  a  plan  and  the 
builder  followed  it. 

John  and  Paul  see  So  there  is  an  august  Plan  of  Salva- 
thePian.  tion  on  which  all  Scripture  is  builded 

together  for  an  habitation  of  the  spirit  of  man.  John 
catches  a  gleam  of  the  vast  design  when  he  speaks 
of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  Paul's  great  intellect  is  incandescent  as  the 
glory  of  God's  purpose  dawns  upon  him.  Human 
language  bends  and  breaks  under  the  weight  of 
glory  with  which  he  loads  it  as  he  tries  to  put  into 
words,  in  the  opening  chapter  of  his  letter  to  the 
Ephesians,  his  vision  of  the  Plan. 

"For  this  reason,"  so  he  begins  in  the  third  chapter  to  sum  up 
the  mighty  argument  of  the  first  and  second  chapters,  "I,  Paul, 
the  prisoner  of  Christ  Jesus  on  behalf  of  you  Gentiles,  for  surely 
you  have  heard  of  the  stewardship  of  the  grace  of  God  entrusted 
to  me  for  you;  and  hov/  by  direct  revelation  the  secret  truth  was 
made  known  to  me,  as  I  have  already  briefly  written  to  you,  by 
reading  which  you  can  judge  of  my  insight  into  that  secret  truth 
of  Christ  which  was  not  made  plain  to  the  sons  of  men  in  former 
generations  as  it  has  now  been  revealed  by  the  Spirit  to  his  holy 
apostles  and  prophets,  namely,  that  in  Christ  Jesus  the  heathen 
are  one  body  with  us  and  are  co-heirs  and  co-partners  in  the  Prom- 
ises through  the  gospel.  It  is  of  this  gospel  I  became  a  minis- 
ter according  to  the  gift  of  the  grace  of  God  bestowed  upon  me 
by  the  energy  of  his  power." 

"To  me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  has  this  grace 
been  given,  that  I  should  proclaim  among  the  heathen  the  gos- 
pel of  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  and  should  make  all 
men  see  the  new  dispensation  of  that  secret  purpose  hidden  from 
eternity  in  the  God  who  founded  the  universe  in  order  that  now 
God's  manifold  wisdom  should,  through  the  church,  be  made 


i6  The  Bible  and  Missions 

known  to  the  principalities  and  powers  in  the  heavenly  sphere, 
according  to  his  eternal  purpose  which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord,  in  whom  we  have  boldness  and  access  in  the  confidence 
of  his  faith. 

The  scarlet  thread  This  Plan  of  God  SO  clearly  to  be 
of  Scripture.  traced  throughout   the   Scriptures  is 

indeed  a  mystery.  Here  are  writings  separated  by 
centuries,  composed  under  circumstances  the  most 
diverse,  written  by  men  of  varied  gifts  and  capaci- 
ties, yet  all  so  assembled  about  one  master  idea  that 
no  sense  of  violence  is  felt  when  all  are  gathered 
together  in  one  volume  and  called  ''The  Book." 
There  is  no  such  underlying  unity  discernible  in 
any  other  sacred  writing;  not  in  the  Koran,  written 
by  the  one  prophet  Mahomet;  not  in  the  multi- 
tudinous and  contradictory  scriptures  of  Hinduism; 
not  in  the  Hina-Yana  and  Maha-Yana  of  Buddhism. 
Paul  did  not  invent  the  plan;  he  discovered  it. 
The  Bible,  the  To  sketch  a  plan  so  vast  in  a  few 
record  of  God's  words  is  wcU  nigh  impossible;  but 
search  for  Man.  ^y^^  jf  inadequate  it  is  still  true  to 
say  that  the  Bible  records  God's  search  for  man  for 
the  purpose  of  redemption  and  fellowship  with 
himself.  Other  sacred  books  record  the  story  of 
man's  search  for  God.  The  Bible  reverses  the  pro- 
cess. From  first  to  last  it  is  Christocentric.  In  the 
Old  Testament  may  be  traced  the  first  working  draw- 
ings of  the  Plan;  the  promise  in  the  garden;  the  train- 
ing of  the  family  and  people  chosen  to  bless  all  nations; 
the  messages  through  the  prophets;  the  promises  of 
the  Messiah;  in  its  completion  and  fulfilment  in  the 
New  Testament,  by  which  the  dimness  and  misun- 
derstandings of  the  past  are  done  away  in  the  light 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  17 

of  the  glory  of  God  revealed   in  the    face  of  Jesus 
Christ,  God   himself  is  seen  fighting  for  man,  to  re- 
deem him  from  himself  into  sonship. 
Unfolding  of  It    will    be    convenient    to    consider 

Plan  in  Old  first  the  great  Plan  of  God  for  the 

Testament.  salvation  of  the  world  as  it  unfolds 

throughout  the  Old  Testament  under  the  four  divi- 
sions into  which  the  Hebrews  divided  their  sacred 
writings — the  Law,  the  History,  the  Prophets,  the 
Writings — and  then  to  take  up  the  missionary  teach- 
ings of  the  New  Testament. 

(1)  Missionary  The  Law,  that  is  the  Pentateuch,  the 
Message  in  the  Five  Books  of  Moses,  was  the  Bible 
^^^-  of  Judaism.  To  it  all  other  parts  of 

the  Scriptures  were  supplementary  or  subordinate. 
It  was  the  Law  to  whose  expounding  the  Rabbis 
gave  their  study,  day  and  night.  It  was  this  venerable 
code  out  of  which  they  formed  a  yoke  intolerable  to 
be  borne  because  of  its  subtleties,  its  puerilities,  its 
multitudinous  legislations  on  the  minutiae  of  human 
conduct.  Yet  it  was  the  Law,  out  of  whose  inferences 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  had  created  an  instrument  of 
oppressive  formalism  and  into  which  they  had  read 
their  own  bitter  intolerance  and  nationalism,  that 
the  author  of  the  Hebrews  recognized  as  the  shadow 
of  better  things  to  come,  "a  living  book,  rich  in 
vital  growth  and  in  symbolic  anticipations,  a  long, 
fibrous  root  out  of  which  came  the  new  law  of  the 
Mount  and  a  greater  prophet  like  unto  Moses.'* 
The  Pentateuch's  The  Pentateuch  plants  itself  square- 
revelation  of  God  ly  on  Theism,  and  that  in  itself  is 
and  his  Plan.  ^    fundamental    missionary   message. 

The  main  conception,  out  of  which  sprang  Christian!- 


i8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

ty's  most  precious  and  distinctive  thought  of  God, 
is  planted  in  Genesis,  and  overshadows  the  Penta- 
teuch. **God,"  "I  Am,"  "Jehovah,"  the  righteous 
Ruler  and  Creator,  is  seen  to  have  a  purpose  for  his 
world  of  men. 

(a)  God,  the  great  A  great  deal  of  shallow  criticism  has 
Person.  been  passed  upon  the  old  Bible  for 

what  has  been  called  its  "anthropomorphism" — 
its  God  in  the  likeness  of  men.  But  through  whatever 
naivete  and  childlikeness  of  statement  the  idea  had 
to  find  its  way,  it  is  becoming  increasingly  evident 
that  the  theistic  conception  of  the  universe  is  today 
Christianity's  final  challenge  to  blank  materialism. 
Since  personality  is  our  own  final  perception  of 
reality,  we  must  begin  to  interpret  the  Ultimate 
Reality  in  terms  of  the  highest  power  within  the  circle 
of  our  own  experience.  Step  by  step  the  revelation 
of  an  orderly  and  rational  universe  has  kept  pace 
with  man's  experience  of  God,  until  today  multi- 
tudes of  every  race  find  the  meaning  to  existence  in 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  of 
old  time  became  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and 
of  Jacob. 

Personaiism  Professor  Bordcn  P.  Bowne,  in  the 
translated  into  ripest  work  of  his  mature  thought, 
Japanese.  PersoTialism,    has    magnificently    ex- 

pounded the  philosophy  to  which  the  theistic  con- 
ception of  the  universe,  implicit  in  the  ancient  book 
of  the  Law,  inevitably  leads — "A  world  of  persons 
with  a  Supreme  Person  at  the  head."  His  book  has 
been  felt  to  be  of  such  value  to  the  thought  of  Japan 
that  it  has  been  translated  by  a  committee  made 
up  of  American   and  Japanese  scholars   and  pub- 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament 


19 


lished,  after  being  subjected  to  the  criticism  of  the 
classroom  in  the  Doshisha  University  for  three  years. 
The  reception  of  the  book  has  shown  that  Japan  is 
keen  for  this  thorough-going  philosophical  inter- 
pretation of  Christian  theism. 

(b)  Mankind,  of  The  missionary  message  of  the  Law 
one  blood.  is  found  also  in  its  story  of  the  origin 
of  man;  "And  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  our  own 
image/'  declared  the  Old  Law.  Anthropology,  Philol- 
ogy, Archeology,  and  Biology  unite  today  to  rein- 
force that  sublime  declaration.  Every  added  bit  of 
knowledge  makes  clearer  the  truth  so  long  derided 
and  denied,  and  so  long  affirmed  by  God's  Holy 
Word,  that  mankind  is  one.  In  spite  of  confusion  of 
tongues  and  deep  social  cleavages;  in  spite  of  differ- 
ences in  color  and  customs  that  merely  point  to 
deeper  divergencies  of  thought  and  ideal,  the  an- 
cient Scripture  stands.  Paul's  bold  declaration,  so 
opposed  to  the  belief  of  the  educated  Greek  or  Roman 
of  his  day,  is  today  a  foundation  affirmation  of 
science. 

"He  caused  to  spring  from  one  forefather  people  of  every  race, 
for  them  to  live  on  the  whole  surface  of  the  earth,  and  marked  out 
for  them  an  appointed  span  of  life  and  the  boundaries  of  their 
homes;  that  they  might  seek  God,  if  perhaps  they  could  grope 
for  him  and  find  him." 

Acts  xvii,  26-27  {Weymouth). 

(c)  The  enlarging  The  missionary  message  of  the  Law 
circles  of  blessing,  is  found,  too,  in  its  story  of  the 
choice  of  a  man,  a  family,  a  nation,  to  be  Jehovah's 
servant  for  the  world.  Back  of  the  choice  is  always 
the  purpose  to  bless.  "And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 


20  The  Bible  and  Missions 

A  channel  of  This  purpose  of  election,  to  be  a 
blessing,  not  a  pool  channel  of  blessing,  is  repeated  to 
of  privilege.  Jacob  and  reasserted  to  each  of  the 

patriarchs.  (Gen.  xii,  1-3;  xviii,  18;  xxii,  18;  xxvi, 
4;  xxviii,  14.)  In  Jacob's  wonderful  blessings  to  his 
sons,  the  old  man  rises  to  the  height  of  pure  pro- 
phetic universalism: 

"The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah, 
Nor  the  ruler's  staff  from  between  his  feet, 
Until  Shiloh  come  (He  come  whose  it  is — Syriac); 
And  unto  him  shall  the  obedience  of  the  peoples  be." 
.  Gen.  xlix,  10. 

•-A^  Israel,  trustee  for   In   the   picture  of  Exodus  xix,  3-6, 
'x  Man.  the  new-born  nation  looks  back  across 

the  Red  Sea  to  its  days  of  bondage  and  forward  to 
the  Land  of  Promise.  At  this  solemn  moment  Moses 
received  from  the  hand  of  God  the  nation's  commis- 
sion, as  Jehovah  spoke  to  him  from  the  burning 
mountain. 

"Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  tell  the 
children  of  Israel:  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians, 
and  how  I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you  unto 
myself.  Now  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  indeed,  and 
keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  mine  own  possession  from 
among  all  peoples:  for  all  the  earth  is  mine:  and  ye  shall  be  unto 
me  a  kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy  nation." 

Says  Carver: 

"First  let  Israel  get  her  bearings.  First  let  the  people  learn 
the  reason  for  their  separate  existence.  Let  them  hear  the  mean- 
ing of  their  past  preservation  and  their  future  career.  It  was  God 
who  had  acted  on  them  and  on  the  Egyptians.  He  had  brought 
the  children  of  Israel,  not  to  Canaan,  not  to  glory,  but  *to  him- 
self.' Now  their  future  as  peculiarly  his  own  people  will  depend 
upon  their  obeying  genuinely  his  voice  and  keeping  his  cove- 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  21 

nant — covenant  inherited  through  Abraham  and  to  be  made  anew 
with  the  nation.  Such  was  his  character  and  such  his  plan  with 
Israel  that  only  thus  could  he  afford  to  make  them  his  special 
own,  above  all  peoples,  as  they  reflected  his  glory  among  men. 
They  must  not  forget  that  all  the  earth  is  his  and  all  its  peoples. 
If  he  takes  this  one  tribe  to  his  heart  for  the  time  it  is  not  to 
forget  the  rest,  but  to  do  good  to  all.  His  aim  is  that  Israel  shall 
serve  him  as  a  kingdom  of  priests  a  nation  set  apart  to  pro- 
phetic service.  But  when  the  priest  and  the  prophet  are  a  na- 
tion, the  people  for  whom  they  minister  and  to  whom  they  proph- 
esy are  the  other  nations.  Abraham's  call  lies  at  the  basis  of 
Israel's  election  in  the  plan  of  God." 

Israel  transmutes  The  central  sin  of  Israel  was  its  fail- 
election  into  ure  to  discern  the  meaning  of  God's 
privilege.  election  of  his  Servant  Nation.  What 
God  meant  for  man,  Israel  monopolized. 

"A  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people, 
Israel," 

was  the  vision  of  Simeon's  enlightened  heart. 

"I  will  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest 
be  my  salvation  to  the  end  of  the  earth," 

sang  Isaiah.  But  the  mind  of  the  nation  stuck  on 
privilege,  and  its  eyes  were  jealously  bent  earth- 
ward or  haughtily  averted  from  other  nations.  The 
election  to  service  was  transmuted  into  a  charter  of 
privilege.  Pride  in  their  distinctive  calling  became 
the  ground  of  the  narrowest  exclusiveness.  The  na- 
tion chosen  to  be  the  servant  of  Jehovah  turned 
Pharisee,  thanking  God  that  it  was  not  as  other 
nations,  and  perished  behind  the  hedge  of  a  law 
interpreted  to  exclude  all  Gentiles  from  the  promises 
of  Jehovah.  The  nation  turned  from  the  worldwide 
vision  of  the  prophets  to  the  disputations  of  warring 
sects,  and,  though  custodians  of  the  ideal  of  a  King- 


22  The  Bible  and  Missions 

dom  of  God  on  earth,  failed  to  recognize  the  King 
when  he  came. 

The  tragedy  of  It  IS  one  of  the  tragedies  of  history, 
Israel's  failure.  this  failure  of  the  Jewish  nation  to 
perform  the  service  for  which  it  had  been  chosen  and 
set  apart  by  God.  A  mystery,  too,  when  all  the  time 
the  Jew  possessed  the  antidote  to  his  fatal  narrowness 
of  vision  in  his  own  Scriptures.  It  was  the  vision  of 
this  tragedy  over  which  Jesus  wept  as  he  looked 
upon  the  Holy  City  from  the  brow  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives. 

Other  lights  that  Let  US  not  be  too  hard  upon  the  Jews. 
failed.  Theirs  is  not  the  only  instance  of  a 

nation  richly  dowered  for  service  that  failed  God. 
The  Jew,  set  apart  to  witness  to  the  one  true  living 
God  to  all  the  earth,  failed,  and  his  candlestick  was 
removed  out  of  its  place.  The  Greek,  more  richly 
gifted  than  any  other  race  to  spread  the  light  of  art 
and  culture  among  the  nations,  looked  with  haughty 
scorn  upon  all  outside  'barbarians,'  dimmed  the  light 
of  his  radiant  soul  by  unworthy  pleasures,  and  his 
candlestick,  too,  was  removed.  The  Roman,  magnif- 
icently equipped  to  organize  the  world  in  one  great 
system  of  law  and  justice,  fell  to  worshipping  brute 
force  and  cruelty,  and  his  light  also  failed. 
Will  the  Christian  Will  the  Christian  Church  prove  an- 
Church  fail?  Other  tragic  instance  of  a  thwarted 

purpose  of  God?  Walking  not  by  the  flickering  torch 
of  the  Old  Testament,  but  in  the  full  blaze  of  light 
that  streams  from  the  Cross  of  Christ,  inheriting 
his  promises,  his  commands,  his  love  for  the  whole 
wide  world,  the  Church  has  failed,  up  to  the  present 
moment,    to   interpret   her   own  worldwide  mission. 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  23 

She  has  spent  her  strength  on  definitions  while  the 
world  lay  in  agony,  has  prated  of  "lesser  folk  without 
the  law/'  while  millions  were  denied  their  birthright 
in  the  gospel,  has  wrapped  race  prejudice  about  her 
like  a  garment,  and  from  her  coffers  of  abundance 
flung  a  few  coins  now  and  then,  with  which  to  finance 
the  army  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  for  the  winning  of  the 
world.  She  has  withheld  her  sons  and  daughters, 
denied  her  oath  of  allegiance,  and  all  the  while  the 
Bible  she  professes  to  believe  has  been  summoning  her 
to  abjure  self  and  take  up  her  cross  of  sacrifice  and 
follow  Jesus  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 
The  gospel  will  The  gospel  will  not  fail.  The  Lord 
not  fail.  Jesus  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  his 

soul  and  be  satisfied.  The  kingdoms  of  this  world 
shall  become  the  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ.  But  the  Church  may  fail^  may  be  set  aside 
for  another  instrument.  Today  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion for  c  :r  Protestant  churches.  If  we  harden  our 
hearts  and  close  our  eyes  and  refuse  the  plain  call 
of  God,  other  generations  may  see  in  us  another 
Israel  whose  narrowness  of  vision  was  condemned 
by  the  very  Scripture  in  which  is  our  boast, 
(d)  In  the  pro-  The  missionary  message  of  the  Law 
pheticnote.  is  found  in  its  prophetic  note.  Run- 

ning through  the  book  of  Genesis  like  the  first  faint 
streaks  of  dawn  are  premonitions  of  universalism. 
The  first  promise  of  redemption  is  made  to  the 
mother  of  all  living  (Gen.  iii,  15)  in  the  person  of  that 
mysterious  seed  who  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head. 
In  Melchizadek,  King  of  Salem,  priest  of  the  Most 
High  God,  there  rises  a  majestic  figure  out  of  the 
shadowy  unknown  peoples.   To  him  Abraham,  the 


24  The  Bible  and  Missions 

father  of  the  chosen  people,  pays  tithes  as  an  inferior 
to  a  superior,  recognizing  in  him  a  messenger  of  the 
Most  High  God,  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth. 
The  author  of  the  letter  to  the  Hebrews  uses  this 
incident  at  length  to  bring  to  the  consciousness  of 
Hebrew  converts  that  wider  priesthood  which  took 
its  origin,  not  from  the  ritual  of  human  legislation, 
but  was  made  in  the  power  of  that  Endless  Life 
which  enlightens  every  man  born  into  the  world,  Jew 
or  Gentile  (Heb.  vii,  1-16). 

(e)  The  Angel  of  The  mysterious  Angel  of  the  Lord, 
the  Presence.  recognized  with  such  awe  and  trem- 

bling as  the  dread  presence  of  Divinity,  comes  and 
goes  through  the  story,  the  first  faint  revelation  of 
Immanuel,  God  with  us,  the  glory  and  the  heart  of 
the  Christian  message. 

Gen.  xvi,  7;  Gen.  xxii,  11 -15;  Gen.  xxxii,  24-30;  Gen.  xxxv, 
9-13;  Exod.  iii,  2-6;  Exod.  xiv,  19;  Exod.  xxiii,  20-23;  Num. 
xxii,  31;  Josh.  V,  13-15. 

II.  Missionary  The  missionary  meaning  of  the  so- 
message  of  the  called  'Historical  Books'  that  follow 
Historical  Books.  ^|^g  Pentateuch  is  not  so  clear  as 
that  of  the  Law.  If  the  theories  of  the  modern 
school  of  interpreters  are  correct,  these  are  for  the 
most  part  earlier  writings  in  which  the  missionary 
understanding  of  Israel's  mission  is  naturally  less 
clear.  Under  any  interpretation  the  life  story  of  the 
Hebrew  people  is  profitable  for  instruction  in  right- 
eousness. The  long  discipline  of  the  people  culminat- 
ing in  the  captivity  sees  Israel  at  last  weaned  from 
his  idols  and  devoted  in  his  soul  to  the  worship  of 
the  one  true  God.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  two  other  religions  that  are  uncompromisingly 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  25 

monotheistic,  Islam  and  Christianity,  spring  from 
Judaism.  In  these  long  centuries  of  disaster  and 
apostasy  the  hope  of  a  coming  King  beams  con- 
stantly clearer. 

The  Foreigner  in  One  of  the  outstanding  instances  of 
Solomon's  prayer  a  wider  than  national  meaning  in 
of  dedication.  ^j^^  gtory  is  found  in  I  Kings  v,  where 
Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  congratulates  Solomon  on 
his  purpose  to  build  a  temple  for  God,  furnishes  him 
with  great  cedars  of  Lebanon,  and  the  two  kings 
cement  one  of  the  earliest  ''leagues  of  nations."  In 
Solomon's  prayer  of  dedication  that  follows,  we  catch 
solemn  overtones  of  the  universal  gospel. 

"Moreover  concerning  the  foreigner,  that  is  not  of  thy  peo- 
ple Israel,  when  he  shall  come  out  of  a  far  country  for  thy 
name's  sake  (for  they  shall  hear  of  thy  great  name,  and  of  thy 
mighty  hand,  and  of  thine  outstretched  arm);  when  he  shall 
come  and  pray  toward  this  house;  hear  thou  in  heaven  thy 
dwelling-place,  and  do  according  to  all  that  the  foreigner  calleth 
to  thee  for;  that  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth  may  know  thy 
name,  to  fear  thee,  as  doth  thy  people  Israel,  and  that  they  may 
know  that  this  house  which  I  Jiave  built  is  called  by  thy  name." 

I  Kings  viii,  41-43. 

God's  gracious  Our  Lord  was  quick  to  call  the  atten- 
caUing  outside  tion  of  the  orthodox  Jews  of  his 
the  Law.  ^^y  ^^    God's    gracious  care  for  his 

children  outside  of  the  pale  of  the  chosen  people. 
*T  tell  you  truly,"  he  said,  "that  in  Israel  there  were 
many  widows  during  the  days  of  Elijah,  when  the 
sky  was  closed  for  three  years  and  six  months,  when 
a  great  famine  came  over  all  the  land;  yet  Elijah 
was  not  sent  to  any  of  these,  but  only  to  a  widow 
woman  at  Zarephath  in  Sidon;  and  in  Israel  there 
were  many  lepers  in  the  time  of  the  prophet  Elisha, 


26  The  Bible  and  Missions 

yet  none  of  them  was  cleansed,  but  only  Naaman 
the  Syrian."  Luke  iv,  25-27. 

Resented  by  the  So  violent  are  human  prejudices,  so 
orthodox.  sJow  of  heart  are  men  to  believe  and 

rejoice  in  the  wide  plans  of  God,  who  is  no  respecter 
of  persons,  that  the  effect  of  this  gracious  unfolding 
of  the  wider  applications  of  their  own  Scriptures  was 
that  "all  in  the  synagogue  were  filled  with  rage  and 
rose  up  and  put  him  out  of  the  town  and  brought  him 
to  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  which  their  town  was  built, 
in  order  to  hurl  him  down." 

The  captive  Still     another    exquisite    missionary 

Syrian  maid.  pendant  is  the  story  of  the  captive 

maid  in  the  house  of  Naaman  the  leper,  whose  heart 
goes  out  quite  naturally  and  simply  in  the  desire  to 
share  God's  grace  with  those  who  know  it  not,  hum- 
ble protagonist  of  those  thousands  who  today  in  far 
distant  lands  are  telling  of  the  great  fountain  which 
God  has  opened  for  the  cleansing  of  human  sin. 
(II  Kings  V,  2-3.) 

III.  Missionary  The  poets  are  ever  the  'makers,'  the 
message  in  the  'see-crs'  who  lead  the  advance  of 
Poetical  Books.  human  thought,  and  so  it  is  not 
strange  that  some  of  the  clearest  missionary  messages 
of  the  Old  Testament  should  be  found  in  the  Psalms, 
and  the  poetic  visions  ot  Isaiah.  Man's  gift  of  imag- 
ination enables  him  to  fuse  the  present  and  the 
future,  the  actual  and  the  ideal,  into  one  glowing 
vision,  transcending  experience.  Tennyson  could 
visualize  the  'Federation  of  the  world,  the  Parlia- 
ment of  man,'  when  as  yet  there  was  none  of  them. 
Kipling  could  describe  the  transatlantic  voyage  of 
a  huge  air  ship.  The  Night  Mail,'  in  what  seemed 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  27 

to  most  people  a  mere  fanciful  tale.  So  David  and  the 
poets,  out  of  the  struggling  earthly  kingdoms,  under 
the  tutelage  of  God's  Spirit,  were  able  from  afar  off 
to  rejoice  in  Messiah's  reign  and  in  the  universal 
worship  of  Jehovah. 

The  poet,  the  Says  Horton:  *'The  story-teller,  the 
real  seer.  poet,  and  the  thinker  give  expression 

to  the  spontaneous  feelings  and  aspirations  of  a 
people.  .  .  .  There  can  be  no  question  that  to  find 
the  real  trend  of  a  people  you  must  examine  the 
imaginative  side  of  its  life.  If,  for  example,  we  wished 
to  sum  up  the  nineteenth  century  in  England,  we 
should  feel  that  no  parliamentary  history  and  no 
legislative  enactments  would  take  us  so  surely  to 
the  heart  of  the  question  as  the  writings  of  Words- 
worth and  Carlyle,  of  Browning  and  Ruskin."  So 
we  shall  find  that  while  priest  and  Levite  were  poring 
over  the  minutiae  of  the  Law,  David  with  his  harp, 
as  he  watched  his  flock  on  the  hillside,  was  listening 
to  the  voice  of  the  God  who  spoke  through  both  Law 
and  Prophet  to  the  heart  of  mankind. 
Ruth  and  Job  While  the  lawgivers  were  becoming 
in  the  missionary  constantly  narrower  and  more  bit- 
purpose,  terly  nationalistic  in  their  outlook, 
the  men  of  imagination  were  writing  the  exquisite 
story  of  Ruth,  the  Moabitess,  a  woman  outside  the 
covenant,  who  chose  God  to  be  her  God  and  his 
people,  her  people,  and  became  an  ancestress  of 
Israel's  Messiah  King.  Another  great  thinker  was 
going  to  the  Land  of  Uz  to  find  an  example  of  a  true 
servant  of  Jehovah  in  the  person  of  Job. 

The  Psalms  are  But  it  is  in  the  Psalms  that  the  rich- 
mankind's  est  missionary  meaning  is  found, 
hymnal.  jf  gy^j.  ^^^i  were  inspired  by  God's 


28  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Spirit  to  write  not  for  their  own,  but  for  all  time,  not 
for  a  nation,  but  for  man,  it  is  surely  the  writers  of 
the  Psalms.  These  old  hymn  books  of  the  Jews, 
written  for  the  worship  of  the  temple,  have  so  little 
of  ritual  or  particularity  about  them  that  quite  sim- 
ply and  inevitably  they  express  the  universal  heart  of 
man.  ''Whoever  were  the  human  authors  of  the 
Psalms,  the  real  author  was  the  Spirit  of  God.  No 
human  poet  or  series  of  poets  could  have  produced 
a  collection  capable  of  accomplishing  such  results 
as  this  has  accomplished." 

"These  inspired  poets  give  the  breadth  and  inner  meaning  of 
the  national  institutions,  that  universal  and  eternal  element 
which  clothed  itself  for  a  time  in  the  forms  and  methods  of  the 
Tabernacle  and  the  Temple,  but  broke  away  from  the  old  system 
when  its  day  was  over,  to  be  clothed  upon  with  the  tabernacle 
from  heaven,  with  that  universal  and  holy  religion  which  was 
suitable  to  the  whole  world. 

"It  would  have  been  inconceivable  beforehand  how  hymns 
could  have  been  written  in  Judaism,  to  be  sung  in  Christendom; 
how  the  songs  of  the  Temple,  which  was  to  be  destroyed,  could 
be  suitable  to  the  Temple  not  made  with  hands;  how  a  communi- 
ty which  was  thinking  only  of  its  exclusive  privileges  and  of  its 
superiority  to  the  other  nations  of  the  world,  could  uncon- 
sciously forecast  a  holy  King,  to  whom  all  the  nations  of  the 
heathen  should  be  given,  and  compose  the  grateful  praises  in 
which  a  ransomed  humanity  would  join.  But  that  inconceivable 
possibility  is  precisely  the  miracle  which  is  realized  in  the  Psalms, 
and  the  missionary  significance  of  it  must  be  plain  as  soon  as  it 
is  pointed  out."  {Horton) 

Particular  mes-  Turning  to  a  brief  consideration  of  a 
sages  of  the  few   of   the    many    missionary    mes- 

Psaims.  sages  of  the  Psalms,  we  find  a  recogni- 

tion that  Jehovah  is  the  God  of  the  whole  worlds  King  of 
men  as  well  as  of  the  material  universe.    Psa.    ii; 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  29 

xviii,  49;  xix;  xxii,   27-28;   xxiv;  xxxiii;  xlvi;  xlvii; 
Ixv;  Ixvi;  Ixvii;  xcvi;  xcviii;  c;  cxvii;  cxlv. 

A  revelation  of  God  to  the  human  heart.  Such 
psalms  as  the  twenty-third,  the  twenty-seventh  with 
its  rapturous  'The  Lord  is  my  Hght  and  my  salva- 
tion; whom  shall  I  fear?",  the  penitent  joy  of  the 
thirty-fourth,  the  proud  trust  of  the  thirty-seventh, 
the  panting  of  the  soul  for  the  living  God  in  the 
forty-second,  the  heart-broken  cry  to  a  God  who  for- 
gives in  the  fifty-first,  the  overflowing  gratitude  of 
the  one  hundred  and  third,  the  help  from  the  God 
of  the  hills  in  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-first,  the 
overwhelming  sense  of  God's  presence  in  the  one 
hundred  and  thirty-ninth,  and  the  hallelujah  chorus 
of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth,  are  predestined  to 
universality.  They  take  the  wings  of  the  wind  and 
fiy  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth;  wherever  a 
human  heart  is  found  they  create  their  own  agencies 
of  transmission.  The  pure  water  of  life  from  out  the 
hills  of  God  must  find  its  way  to  the  ocean  of  man's 
need. 

The  Vision  of  a  Messianic  Kingdom.  There  is  in 
the  Psalms  a  constant  expectation  and  anticipation 
of  a  King  who  shall  reign  in  righteousness  over 
an  Everlasting  Kingdom.  Doubtless  many  of  these 
Psalms  found  their  occasion  in  celebration  of  coro- 
nation or  victory  in  the  history  of  the  monarchy. 
But  any  or  all  of  the  triumphs  of  David  or  Solomon, 
Josiah,  or  Hezekiah  are  far  too  small  to  fill  the 
splendid  canvas  upon  which  the  psalmist  paints 
his  glorious  vision.  Let  any  unprejudiced  person 
carefully  read  Psalms  ii,  xxii,  1,  Ixvii,  Ixxii,  Ixxx,  xcviii, 
ex,  and  the  conviction  will  be  overwhelming  that  it 


JO  The  Bible  and  Missions 

is  as  prophet,  rather  than  chronicler,  that  the  poet  is 
writing. 

Says  Horton : 

"The  King  of  whom  they  sing  is  more  God  than  man,  and  the 
dominion  which  is  promised  to  him  is  humanity  rather  than 
Israel.  Of  course  the  national  colouring  is  there,  and  the  flights 
of  fancy  are  sometimes  brought  down  rather  suddenly  to  con- 
crete realities,  before  the  poet's  eye;  but,  as  we  put  together  the 
catena  of  those  Psalms  touching  the  King  and  the  Kingdom,  we 
know  that  we  are  dealing  with  a  great  missionary  thought,  which 
admits  of  no  limitation  short  of  humanity  as  a  whole." 

Jesus  nourished  Moreover,  these  very  Psalms  were 
his  soul  on  the  part  of  thosc  Scriptures  on  which  was 
Psalms.  nourished  the  soul  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

That  he  did  not  fail  to  find  in  them  this  nobler  note 
of  prophecy  is  very  evident  on  turning  to  the  Gos- 
pels. Matthew  saw  in  Jesus'  use  of  parables  on  that 
day  by  the  seaside  an  echo  of  Psa.  Ixxviii,  2. 
Our  Lord  himself  applies  to  himself  the  words  of 
Psa.  cxviii,  22,  23,  concerning  the  stone  rejected 
by  the  builders  (Matt,  xxi,  42),  and  to  Judas  the 
words  of  Psa.  xli,  9,  about  the  betrayal  of  a  familiar 
friend.  As  the  disciples  watched  the  Figure  on  the 
Cross  during  the  dark  hours  of  the  crucifixion,  it  was 
of  the  words  of  the  twenty-second  Psalm  that  they 
thought  as  they  saw  the  soldiers  gambling  for  the 
garments  of  the  Son  of  Man;  and  of  the  sixty- 
ninth  Psalm  as  the  sponge  dipped  in  vinegar  was 
thrust  between  his  dying  lips. 

In  his  own  perfect  familiarity  with  the  Jewish 
Scriptures,  our  Lord  on  the  Cross  gave  expression 
to  his  anguish  and  his  trust  in  the  words  of  Psalm 
xxii,  I  (Matt,  xxvii,  46)  and  Psalm  xxxi,  5  (Luke 
xxiii,  46). 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  31 

The  Psalms  pre-  There  are,  moreover,  several  details 
figured  his  in  these  Messianic  psalms  which  were 

experience.  exactly  reproduced  in  the  life  of  our 

Lord,  although  they  are  not  so  quoted  in  the  New 
Testament.  Such,  for  example,  are  the  words  of 
attestation  at  his  baptism  and  transfiguration 
(Psa.  ii,  7);  his  rejection  by  his  brethren  (Psa. 
Ixix,  8);  his  condemnation  by  false  witnesses  (Psa. 
XXXV,  11);  the  piercing  of  his  hands  and  feet  (Psa. 
xxii,  16),  and  the  mocking  of  the  crowd  at  his  cru- 
cifixion (Psa.  xxii,  7,  8). 

Peter's  and  Paul's  Peter  and  Paul  turned  to  the  Mes- 
useoftheMes-  sianic  psalms  for  illustrations  as  they 
sianic  Psalms.  preached  the  risen  Saviour,  Psa.  xvi, 
8-10  (applied  Acts  ii,  25-31;  Acts  xiii,  35-37); 
Psa.  ex,  I  (applied  Acts  ii,  32-^6) ;  Psa.  Ixix,  9  (ap- 
plied Rom.  XV,  3);  Psa.  Ixviii,  18  (applied  Acts  ii, 
23);  Psa.  ii,  7  (applied  Acts  xiii,  33);  Psa.  viii, 
4-6  (applied  I  Cor.  xv,  27);  Psa.  xlv,  6-7  (applied 
Heb.  i,  8,  9);  Psa.  xxii,  22  (applied  Heb.  ii,  12). 
IV.  The  Missionary  The  most  glorious  missionary  mes- 
message  of  the  sages  of  the  Old  Testament,  however. 
Prophets.  ^j.g  ^.q  j^g  found  neither  in  Law,  His- 

tory, nor  Poetry,  but  in  the  writing  of  the  prophets, 
when  **holy  men  of  old  spake  as  they  were  moved  by 
the  Holy  Spirit." 

The  prophets  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
seem  our  contem-  structure  of  the  Old  Testament  is 
poranes.  j^q^  linear,  but  rather  on  four  parallel 

lines  covering  somewhat  the  same  periods  of  time 
with  differing  emphases.  Thus,  the  prophets  accom- 
pany the  poets,  and  they  the  historians,  over  a  great 
part   of   Israel's   pilgrimage.  But   while    Chronicles 


32  The  Bible  and  Missions 

narrates  the  story  from  the  ecclesiastical  point  of 
view,  the  prophets  are  reacting  to  the  same  Provi- 
dences in  the  light  of  spiritual  and  universal  applica- 
tions of  the  moral  law.  This  is  what  makes  the 
prophets  so  contemporary.  The  quaint  and  archaic 
in  the  fashion  of  thought  of  those  who  wrote  the 
Chronicles  of  the  Kings  is  wanting  in  the  burning 
messages  of  the  prophets.  To  us  they  speak  with 
present  authority;  of  our  sins  and  problems  they 
write;  it  is  our  faith  that  they  reassure  in  the  coming 
of  the  rule  of  God  among  men. 

Missionary  con-  There  are  certain  great  conceptions 
ceptions  common  more  or  less  common  to  the  prophets: 
to  the  prophets,  (a)  They  regard  Israel  as  God's 
chosen  instrument  for  worldwide  ends,  (b)  They 
perceive  in  varying  degrees  the  unity  of  human 
history,  (c)  They  recognize  God's  disciplinary  prov- 
idences over  his  people,  (d)  They  know  that  the 
chosen  nation's  privileges  are  not  its  property,  but 
held  in  trust  for  mankind,  (e)  Their  eyes  are  fixed 
not  on  the  past,  to  see  a  vanished  golden  age,  but 
on  the  future,  with  unquenchable  hope.  In  this 
brief  outline  we  can  only  hint  at  the  missionary  ma- 
terial of  the  prophets,  in  the  hope  that  the  sugges- 
tions given  may  lead  out  to  more  adequate  study 
of  the  whole  mind  and  heart  enlarging  subject. 
Four  prophets  of  There  are  four  prophets  belonging 
the  eighth  cen-  to  the  eighth  century  before  Christ, 
tury,  B.  c.  ^Amos  and  Hosea  of  the  Northern 

Kingdom  of  Israel,  and  Micah  and  Isaiah  of  the 
Southern  Kingdom  of  Judah.  In  Amos  and  Hosea, 
the  most  ancient,  explicit  missionary  lessons  are 
naturally  fewest;  yet  these    two   writers   are   out- 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  ^3 

standing  figures  in  the  development  of  human 
thought;  their  words  contribute  no  slender  stream 
to  that  river  of  the  Water  of  Life  that  now  runs 
sweetly  through  all  the  earth. 

The  gospel  in  Amos,  a  herdsman  and  gatherer  of 
Amos.  wild    figs,    appears    suddenly    before 

the  luxurious  and  oppressive  court  of  Jeroboam  with 
a  strong  message  from  Jehovah.  In  words  of  rough- 
hewn  and  passionate  sincerity  he  announces  God*s 
just  judgment  upon  the  surrounding  nations,  Da- 
mascus, Tyre,  Edom,  and  Ammon,  picturing  the 
fate  of  Tyre,  then  in  her  glory.  He  lays  bare  IsraeFs 
oppression  of  the  poor,  the  luxury  and  parasitism 
of  her  women,  and  prophesies  famine  and  desolation. 
With  wonderful  tenderness  he  laments  his  country's 
fate  and  beseeches  her  in  God's  name  to  seek  good 
and  not  evil,  that  she  may  live;  to  let  justice  run  down 
as  waters  and  righteousness  as  a  mighty  stream. 
With  a  social  passion  that  we  are  wont  to  think  be- 
longs to  our  own  day,  he  foretells  the  sure  destruc- 
tion and  captivity  to  come,  when  God  will  sift  Israel 
among  all  nations  as  corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve.  His 
book  closes  with  a  majestic  prophecy  of  restoration. 
(Amos  ix,  11-15.)  The  gospel's  familiar  lines  are 
in  the  prophecy  of  Amos,  faint,  but  clear,  (i)  Democ- 
racy in  God's  choice  of  an  instrument,  (2)  Considera- 
tion for  the  poor  at  a  time  when  pity  was  unknown, 
(3)  God's  righteous  government  reaching  out  to  the 
whole  world,  (4)  A  spiritual  as  opposed  to  a  ritual 
religious  emphasis. 

Hosea's  gospel  Hosea  is  the  earliest  great  teacher  of 
of  the  love  of  the  love  of  God.  Through  the  teach- 
^^°^*  ings  of  his  own  sufferings  because  of 


34  The  Bible  and  Missions 

an  unfaithful  wife,  Hosea  discerns  the  suffering  love 
of  God  reaching  out  after  his  rebellious  people.  A 
new  voice  was  heard  in  the  world,  one  single  thrilling 
note,  when  Hosea  dared  to  figure  the  Eternal  as 
drawing  his  people  with  the  cords  of  a  man,  with  the 
bands  of  love,  and  to  sound  the  note  of  God's  heart- 
break over  his  rebellious  people.  **How  shall  I  give 
thee  up,  Ephraim?  How  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel? 
O  Israel,  thou  hast  destroyed  thyself;  but  in  me  is 
thine  help.  I  will  ransom  thee  from  the  power  of  the 
grave.  O  death,  I  will  be  thy  plague."  A  note  new  in 
the  world,  but  to  grow  and  increase  until  it  culminat- 
ed in  the  gospel  of  a  God  who  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  his  Son  to  save  it. 

Micah  foretells  After  Samaria  fell  in  her  unrepented 
the  coming  King-  evil  doing,  Micah  and  Isaiah  took  up 
^°"^-  the  work  of  warning   the   Southern 

Kingdom  of  the  fate  that  was  sure  to  follow  upon 
its  godlessness  and  immorality.  The  conditions  of 
industrial  oppression  and  social  vice  which  Micah 
reveals  among  the  princes  of  Judah  do  not  differ 
materially  from  those  which  Amos  denounced  in 
Israel  or  those  which  are  to  be  found  in  our  own  day. 
Against  them  the  prophet  pronounced  the  sure  doom 
which  ever  dogs  the  steps  of  the  nations  that  forget 
God.  In  his  fourth  chapter  is  found  the  earliest 
clear  forecast  of  that  universal  gospel  at  the  heart 
of  God's  plan  for  his  ancient  people. 

"But  in  the  last  days  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  mountain 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  and  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills;  and  people 
shall  flow  unto  it. 

"And  many  nations  shall  come,  and  say,  Come  and  let  us  go 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  35 

up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  house  of  the  God  of 
Jacob;  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his 
paths;  for  the  law  shall  go  forth  of  Zion,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord 
from  Jerusalem. 

"And  he  shall  judge  among  many  people,  and  rebuke  strong 
nations  afar  off;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruninghooks;  nation  shall  not  lift  up  a 
sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more. 

"But  they  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  under  his 
fig  tree;  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid;  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts  hath  spoken  it. 

"For  all  people  will  walk  every  one  in  the  name  of  his  god, 
and  we  will  walk  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God  for  ever  and 
ever."  Micah  iv,  1-5. 

Micah's  inter-  In  Micah,  too,  occurs  the  remark- 
pretation  of  true  able  prophecy  in  regard  to  Bethle- 
religion.  j^^j^^    (Micah    V,    2)    and    the     most 

glorious  setting  forth  of  spiritual  as  opposed  to  for- 
mal religion;  an  interpretation  of  religion  absolutely 
fatal  to  any  partial,  racial,  or  dispensational  claims, 
and  embracing  all  mankind  under  its  wide  sky. 

"Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself 
before  the  high  God?  Shall  I  come  before  him  with  burnt  offer- 
ings, with  calves  of  a  year  old? 

"Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams,  or  with  ten 
thousands  of  rivers  of  oil?  Shall  I  give  my  firstborn  for  my  trans- 
gression, the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul? 

"He  hath  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good;  and  what  doth  the 
Lord  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  thy  God?"  Micah  vi,  6-8. 

The  circumstances  Isaiah  has  been  called  the  fifth  evan- 
of  Isaiah's  geHst,  because  in  his  prophecies  the 

ministry.  gospel  note  sounds  clearest  and  most 

often.  What  were  but  scattered  gleams  and  intima- 
tions in  Hosea  and  Amos  become  settled  convictions 
with  Isaiah.  In  his  writings  for  the  first  time  we 


26  The  Bible  and  Missions 

recognize  a  world- vision.  Isaiah  lived  and  prophesied 
through  four  invasions  of  Judea,  by  the  insolent  and 
brutal  power  of  Assyria.  He  lived  when  all  the  little 
nations  of  Western  Asia  alternately  trembled  and 
intrigued  between  the  great  world  powers  of  that 
day;  Assyria  to  the  North,  Egypt  to  the  South. 
Judah  was  Assyria's  Belgium,  lying  between  her 
ambitions  for  world  domination  and  her  rival,  Egypt. 
Two  convictions  Isaiah's  missionary  meaning  rests 
underlying  Upon    two  convictions;  God's    right- 

Isaiah's  gospel.  eousness  and  God's  providential  gov- 
ernment not  alone  of  his  chosen  people,  but  of  the 
world.  In  his  superb  confidence  in  the  might  of  God's 
righteousness,  he  is  able  to  reassure  the  hearts  of  his 
generation,  paralyzed  by  the  fear  of  a  conscienceless 
tyranny.  The  first  expression  of  the  Christian 
philosophy  of  history  was  given  in  Isaiah's  claim  for 
Jehovah  of  an  authority  over  all  the  nations,  to  use 
them  as  instruments  to  work  out  his  providence. 
One  Lord  over  In  the  **dooms"  pronounced  upon  all 
all  nations.  the    nations    surrounding    his    own, 

Isaiah  breaks  in  upon  the  exclusiveness  of  his  people 
with  a  new  world-note.  "As  you  read  his  prophecies 
upon  foreign  nations,"  says  George  Adam  Smith, 
*'you  perceive  that  before  the  eyes  of  this  man 
humanity,  broken  and  scattered  in  his  day  as  it  was, 
rose  up,one  great  whole, every  part  of  which  was  sub- 
ject to  the  same  laws  of  righteousness  and  deserved 
from  the  prophet  of  God  the  same  love  and  pity.'* 
Isaiah  takes  From  his  watch   tower  of  prophecy 

possession  of  the  Isaiah  looked  out  upon  a  world  that 
world  in  God's  seems  Strangely  small  to  our  modern 
"^^^-  eyes;  but  a  world  that  filled  the  largest 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  37 

horizon  of  those  times,  a  world  stretching  from  the 
ultimate  West  of  the  Isles  of  the  yEgean  to  the  ulti- 
mate East  beyond  the  Great  River  Euphrates.  Of 
this  world  he  took  possession  in  the  name  of  God; 
looking  forward  to  the  time  when  "the  particular 
religious  opportunities  of  the  Jew  should  be  the 
inheritance  of  humanity."  In  closing  one  of  the 
noblest  missionary  sermons  of  the  Old  Testament, 
he  writes:  *'In  that  day  shalllsrael  be  the  third  with 
Egypt  and  with  Assyria,  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth;  for  that  Jehovah  of  hosts  hath  blessed  them, 
saying,  Blessed  be  Egypt  my  people  and  Assyria  the 
work  of  my  hands,  and  Israel  mine  inheritance.'* 
(Isa.  xix,  24-25.) 

Isaiah's  challenge  The  same  questions  as  those  Isaiah 
for  Today.  faced  are  still  at  stake.  Men  are  still 

in  danger  of  believing  in  the  right  of  might,  rather 
than  the  might  of  right.  Deep  cleavages  still  divide 
the  nations,  making  it  difficult  to  believe  in  one 
Father  God  with  a  purpose  that  embraces  all  man- 
kind. Still  are  men  fain  to  settle  down  in  selfish 
ease  when  no  foe  menaces  their  own  frontier,  forget- 
ful of  those  others  without  the  gate  for  whom 
Christ  died.  For  the  Christian  Church  of  today,  as 
for  God's  ancient  Jewish  people,  Isaiah  has  a  mes- 
sage. We,  too,  must  in  the  name  of  God  claim  the 
world  for  our  parish.  A  modern  writer  has  phrased 
this  missionary  challenge  in  unforgetable  terms. 
If  Missions  fail,  "I  am  asked,  *Do  you  believe  in 
Christ  a  failure,  foreign  missions?'  I  answer,  'Do  you 
believe  in  the  gospel  of  Christ?*  For  be  assured  of 
this,  if  foreign  missions,  when  considered  in  the 
large,  arc  a  failure,  the  gospel  is  a  failure.  If  Jesus 


38  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Christ  has  no  message  for  the  man  in  Shanghai  that 
is  worth  giving  my  life,  if  need  be,  to  get  it  to  him, 
he  has  no  message  for  the  man  in  London  that  I 
need  bother  about.  He  is  either  the  Saviour  of  the 
whole  world  or  he  is  no  man's  Saviour." 

Other  instances  of  Isaiah's  vision  of  the  world- 
meaning  of  his  nation's  faith  may  be  found  in  Chapters 
ii;  ix,  2-8;  xi;  xxxiii. 

The  vision  of  the  The  latter  chapters  of  the  book,  the 
Suffering  Servant,  fortieth  to  the  sixty-sixth  inclusive, 
have  been  called  "one  glowing  rhapsody  of  Zion 
redeemed."  Internal  evidence  of  this  portion  of  the 
prophecy  has  led  many  reverent  students  of  the  Bible 
to  assign  the  prophecies  to  a  later  date  and  to  an- 
other author.  Whether  this  or  the  traditional  view 
is  taken  does  not  alter  the  glorious  missionary  mes- 
sage of  these  marvelous  prophecies.  The  ideas  under- 
lying the  earlier  chapters  are  here  expressed  with  a 
fulness  and  a  glory  of  prophetic  hope  that  put  them 
on  a  plane  nearer  to  the  New  Testament  than  any 
other  portion  of  the  Old  Testament.  Not  only  are 
the  righteousness  of  God  and  his  nearness  to  his 
people  discerned,  not  only  is  Jehovah  proclaimed  as 
the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  but  the  vision  of  the 
Suffering  Servant  of  Jehovah  is  so  drawn  that  the 
heart  of  the  world  has  recognized  in  it  the  portrait 
of  the  One  who  was,  indeed,  wounded  for  the  trans- 
gressions of  the  whole  world. 

See  Isa.  xlii,  1-4;  lii,  7,  10,  15;  Ix,  1-9;  Ixi,  1-3,  ii;  Ixv,  i;  Ixvi, 
10,  12,  13,  16,  18-23. 

The  call  of  the  The  prophet  Jeremiah  delivered  his 
Prophet  Jeremiah,  message  during  the  terrible  days  of 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  39 

the  dissolution  and  exile  of  his  nation.  His  was  the 
hard  task  of  doing  a  patriot's  duty  in  such  a  way  that 
to  the  men  of  his  day  he  seemed  false  to  his  country. 
In  Jeremiah's  call  we  have  a  noble  prototype  of  the 
call  of  all  true  missionaries.  Summoned  out  of  his 
conscious  weakness,  girded  with  the  power  of  the 
God  who  commissioned  him,  he  is  sent  to  ''nations 
and  kingdoms,  to  root  out  and  to  pull  down,  to  de- 
stroy and  to  throw  down,  to  build  and  to  plant.'* 
(Jer.  i,  10.)  Thus  ever  does  the  task  of  destroying 
the  false  precede  and  accompany  the  constructive 
work  of  laying  the  foundations  of  the  unseen  Empire 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

Jeremiah,  a  type  In  his  personality  Jeremiah  stands 
of  the  Suffering  out  as  the  greatest  of  the  prophets, 
Servant.  ^j^^  q^q  ^\^q  typified  in  his  suffering 

on  behalf  of  his  sinning  people  that  Other  who  came 
as  God's  Missionary  to  his  own,  but  whose  own 
received  him  not,  who  was  rejected  and  made  of  no 
reputation  among  his  brethren,  and  who  wept  over 
Jerusalem,  still  rejecting  the  love  of  God,  who  sought 
her.  Out  of  the  agony  of  his  witnessing  Jeremiah 
comes  to  hope  in  the  coming  King  in  his  Kingdom. 

See  Jer.  xxiii,  1-8;  xxxi,  10-12,31-34. 

Ezekiel's  gospel  Ezekiel  is  the  great  prophet  of  the 
for  the  individual.  Captivity,  writing  out  of  the  land 
whither  the  exiled  people  had  been  taken.  In  Ezekiel 
we  have  the  emergence  of  the  gospel  for  the  indi- 
vidual. The  elder  prophets,  and  even  Isaiah  and 
Jeremiah,  fixed  their  thought  for  the  most  part  on 
God's  purpose  for  the  nation  and,  through  the  na- 
tion, for  the  world.  Ezekiel   writes  his  message  of 


40  1"he  Bible  and  Missions 

hope  and  restoration  to  the  nation,  but  he  writes 
also  for  the  individual  man.  In  one  of  the  weigh- 
tiest utterances  in  the  history  of  religions,  Ezekiel 
makes  use  of  an  ancient  proverb, — "The  fathers  have 
eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set 
on  edge," — to  declare  the  Eternal's  care  for  every 
human  soul. 

BEHOLD,  ALL  SOULS  ARE  MINE;  AS  THE  SOULOFTHE 
FATHER,  so  ALSO  THE  SOUL  OF  THE  SON  IS  MINE:  THE 
SOUL    THAT    SINNETH,    IT    SHALL    DIE. 

On  this  as  his  text  he  proceeds  to  build  up  his  great 
discussion  on  heredity  and  environment,  leading  up 
to  a  conviction  that  lies  at  the  very  heart  of  the  Good 
News  which  Jesus  came  to  give  to  all  mankind. 

See  Ezek.  xviii,  31-32;  xi,  19,  10;  xxxvi,  25-27. 
Not  lost  in  the  This  gospcl  of  redemption  for  the 
crowd,  the  gospel's  individual  is  one  of  the  most 'precious 
glorious  promise,  treasures  of  Christianity.  The  right- 
eous individual  is  not  lost  sight  of  in  a  worthless 
family.  The  wicked  has  held  out  to  him  the  promise 
of  that  new  heart  which  is  the  gift  of  God.  Such 
good  news  of  salvation,  like  all  good  news,  compels 
its  own  telling.  It  can  no  more  be  monopolized 
than  sunshine  or  the  stars. 

In  Ezekiel's  parable  of  the  hireling  shepherd 
(Chapter  xxxiv),  is  to  be  found  a  missionary  mes- 
sage that  rebukes  our  selfish  ease  as  it  did  that  of 
the  professedly  religious  in  the  long  ago.  Can  it 
be  that  America,  called  to  be  a  shepherd  nation, 
will  close  her  eyes  to  Christ's  flock,  scattered  shep- 
herdless  upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  with  none 
to  search  or  seek  after  them  ? 

See  Ezek.  xxxiv,  9-11. 


BUDDHIST  WOMAN'S  SOCIETY 
They  Search  their  Scriptures  in  vain  for  a  Gospel  for  Women. 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  41 

These  words  were  echoed  long  after  by  the  Lord 
Jesus  when  he  said,  "Other  sheep  I  have  which  are 
not  of  this  fold;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  there 
shall  be  one  flock  and  one  shepherd." 
The  Healing  The  vision  of  the  healing  waters  that 

Waters.  flowed  out  of  the  sanctuary  (Ezek. 

xlvii,  I -13),  is  a  symbol  of  the  progress  of  the 
gospel  throughout  all  lands.  Issuing  as  a  slender 
stream  from  out  the  house  of  God,  it  deepens  and 
widens  until  it  becomes  water  to  swim  in,  a  river  that 
can  not  be  crossed  over;  and,  into  whatever  desert 
the  river  flows,  there  come  trees  of  fadeless  leaf  and 
fruit  which  shall  be  for  food  and  medicine,  and 
everything  shall  live  whither  the  river  cometh. 
Speaking  Peace  to  In  Haggai  and  Zechariah  we  have 
the  Heathen.  messages  regarding  the  rebuilding  of 

the  temple  and  the  city  from  which  truth  shall  go 
forth  over  the  wide  world.  Zechariah  has  become 
forever  precious  to  the  Christian  conscience  in  his 
foreshadowing  of  the  betrayal  and  crucifixion  of 
our  Lord.  (Zech.  xi,  12,  13;  xii,  10.)  He  joins  in 
the  great  chorus  of  the  prophets  to  invite  all  nations 
to  share  with  the  chosen  people  in  the  grace  of  God 
(Zech.  ii,  11;  Zech.  viii,  7-8)  and  most  gloriously, 
Zech.  ix,  9-10: 

"Rejoice  greatly,  O  daughter  of  Zion;  shout,  O  daughter  of 
Jerusalem:  behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee:  he  is  just,  and 
having  salvation;  lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass,  and  upon  a  colt 
the  foal  of  an  ass. 

"And  I  will  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim,and  the  horse 
from  Jerusalem,  and  the  battle  bow  shall  be  cut  off:  and  he  shall 
speak  peace  unto  the  heathen:  and  his  dominion  shall  be  from 
sea  even  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  even  t»  the  ends  of  the 
earth." 


42  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Habakkuk's  Habakkuk's  message  seems  peculiar- 

Message,  ly  meant  for  our  day.  Baffled  by  the 

wrong  and  insolent  tyranny  which  he  beholds  every- 
where, the  sensitive  soul  of  the  prophet  turns  to  his 
God  with  a  question:  **How  long  will  Jehovah  per- 
mit wrong  and  violence  to  triumph,  so  that  the  Law 
is  paralyzed  and  justice  never  gets  done?  Shall  the 
oppressor  forever  draw  his  sword  and  ceaselessly 
massacre  the  nations?"  And  Jehovah  answers:  the 
prophet  sets  his  answer  down  quite  plainly,  so  that 
he  that  runs  may  read: 

'It  is  God  himself  who  is  about  to  raise  up  the  Chaldeans,  that 
bitter  and  hasty  nation,  swifter  than  leopard  and  more  fierce 
than  evening  wolves,  and  use  them  for  his  own  purposes.* 

The  Everlasting  The  poet's  faith  climbs  trembling  to 
Yea.  his  watch  tower,  and  again  interrogates 

the  Holy  One  of  Israel:  "Hast  thou  ordained  them 
for  judgment?  and  O,  Mighty  God,  hast  thou  estab- 
lished them  for  corrections?  O  why  dost  thou,  who 
art  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  evil,  look  upon  those 
who  deal  treacherously  and  keep  silence  when  the 
wicked  devour  men  more  righteous  than  they, 
catching  them  like  fish  in  their  cruel  net?"  Again 
Jehovah  answered  his  agonized  prophet  upon  his 
little  watch  tower  of  faith,  looking  for  evidences  that 

. . .  ."behind  the  dim  unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow. 
Keeping  watch  above  his  own." 

God*s  answer  is  the  quiet  'Hush,  my  child,'  of  the 
Eternal. 

"Though  the  vision  tarry,  wait  for  it." 
"The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith." 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  43 

Just  the  old,  old  riddle  of  the  world,  so  torn  and 
sinful,  in  which  somehow  the  wrath  of  man  is  made 
to  praise  God,  and  his  will  gets  itself  done  in  spite 
of  Assyrian  or  Chaldean,  Attila,  scourge  of  God,  or 
the  insolent  rage  of  the  Hun. 

"Thy  Kingdom  The  prophet,  comforted,  though  not 
Come."  answered,  raises   the   bold  challenge 

of  faith  against  all  insolent  evil  of  whatever  age. 
Sure  of  the  downfall  and  confusion  that  await 
every  wicked  work,  the  prophet  sees 

"That  the  glory  of  God  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea."  See  also  Hab.  ii,  14. 

and  in  his  renewed  faith  cries, 

"But  the  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple: 
Let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before  him.** 

Out  of  what  littleness  are  we  come  to  what  a  wide 
expanse,  from  the  days  when  Israel  thought  jealously 
of  her  God  in  his  temple  on  Mount  Moriah  to  this 
theophany  of  God  who  makes  wicked  nations  his 
instruments  of  justice  and  correction,  and  before 
whom  the  whole  earth  keeps  reverent  silence! 
The  Messages  of  Of  the  "pointing  prophets"  in  Sar- 
the  Covenant.  gent's  great  picture  Malachi  stands 
nearest,  a  messenger  who  tells  the  petulant  people 
how  the  Lord  will  ''suddenly  come  to  his  temple, 
even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight 
in:  behold,  he  shall  come,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming.^  and  who 
shall  stand  when  he  appeareth.^  for  he  is  like  a  reliner*s 
fire,  and  like  fullers'  soap:  and  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner 
and  purifier  of  silver:  and  he  shall  purify  the  sons  of 
Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and  silver,  that  they 


44  The  Bible  and  Missions 

may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  righteousness/* 
Mai.  iii,  1-3. 

"But  unto  you  that  fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness arise  with  healing  in  his  wings:.  .  . . 

"Behold,  I  will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet  before  the  coming 
of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord."  Mai.  iv,  i,  5. 

"My  Name  Re-  The  most  Striking  missionary  teach- 
vered  among  the  ing  of  Malachi  is  found  in  the  first 
Nations."  chapter,  in   which  the  prophet  con- 

trasts the  grudging  and  polluted  offerings  of  the 
priests  with  the  worship  offered  to  God  outside  the 
borders  of  Israel.  The  insertion  in  the  authorized 
version  of  the  words  **shali  be"  in  the  eleventh  verse, 
thus  making  of  the  statement  a  prophecy,  has  ob- 
scured the  meaning  of  the  prophet.  George  Adam 
Smith's  faithful  uanslation  makes  it  beautifully 
plain: 

"A  son  honours  a  father,  and  a  servant  his  lord.  But  if  I 
am  Father,  where  is  My  honour?  and  if  I  am  Lord,  where  is 
reverence  for  Me?  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts  to  you,  O  priests,  who 
despise  My  Name.  Y^  say,  'How  then  have  we  despised  Thy 
Name?*  Ye  are  bringin.i;  polluted  food  to  Mine  Altar.  Ye  say, 
'How  have  we  polluted  Thee?'  By  saying, 'The Table  of  Jehovah 
may  be  despised*;  and  wLen  ye  bring  a  blind  beast  to  sacrifice, 
'No  harm,'  or  when  ye  In.ig  a  lame  or  sick  one,  'No  harm.* 
Pray,  take  it  to  thy  Satrap;  vvill  he  be  pleased  with  thee,  or  accept 
thy  person?  saith  Jehovah  cf  Hosts.  But  now,  propitiate  God, 
that  He  may  be  gracious  to  u.-'.  When  things  like  this  come  from 
your  hands,  can  He  accept  yoii-  persons?  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 
Who  is  there  among  you  to  close  the  doors  of  the  Temple  alto- 
gether, that  ye  kindle  not  Mine  Altar  in  vain?  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  you,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  and  I  will  not  accept  an  offering 
from  your  hands.  For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  and  to  its  setting 
My  Name  is  glorified  among  the  nations;  and  in  every  sacred 
place  incense  is  offered  to  My  Name,  and  a  pure  offering;  for 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  45 

great  is  My  Name  among  the  nations,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts. 
But  ye  are  profaning  it,  in  that  ye  think  that  the  Table  of  the 
Lord  is  polluted,  and  its  food  contemptible.  And  ye  say,  What  a 
weariness!  and  ye  sniff  at  it,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  When  ye 
bring  what  has  been  plundered,  and  the  lame  and  the  diseased, 
yea,  when  ye  so  bring  an  offering,  can  I  accept  it  with  grace 
from  your  hands?  saith  Jehovah.  Cursed  be  the  cheat  in  whose 
flock  is  a  male  beast  and  he  vows  it,  and  slays  for  the  Lord  a  mis- 
erable beast.  For  a  great  King  am  I,  saith  Jehovah  of  Hosts, 
and  My  Name  is  reverenced  among  the  nations." 

Was  It  Reverenced  This  passage  may  be  understood  in 
by  Jewish  exiles?  either  of  two  ways:  (ist),  that  the 
"reverencing  of  God's  name  among  the  heathen  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun  to  its  setting"  may  be  due  to  the 
spread  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  and  religion  through- 
out the  ancient  world.  We  know  that  the  demand  for 
a  translation  of  these  Scriptures  was  so  great  that 
one  called  the  Septuagint  was  made  into  Greek  in 
the  third  century,  B.C.  We  know,  too,  that  this  came 
into  more  general  use  than  the  original  Hebrew,  so 
that  our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  in  quoting  from  the 
Old  Testament,  used  the  Septuagint.  The  wide 
diffusion  of  the  Hebrew  faith  may  be  inferred  also 
from  the  multitude  of  pilgrims  who  came  annually 
to  Jerusalem  from  every  land  to  attend  the  Passover. 
(Acts  ii,  i-ii.) 

In  Every  Nation.  ?^  ^^"^  ^^^^  ^^",d'  ^he  passage  may 
be  the  acknowledgment  on  the  part 
of  the  prophet  that  the  One  True  God  had  those  who 
served  him  in  spirit  and  truth,  all  over  the  world, 
even  as  Paul  said,  "In  every  nation  he  that  feareth 
God  and  worketh  righteousness  is  accepted  of  him." 
"From  the  first,"  says  George  Adam  Smith,  "they 
(the  prophets  of  Israel)  had  known  their  God  as  a 


46  The  Bible  and  Missions 

God  of  a  grace  so  infinite  that  it  was  impossible  that 
it  should  be  exhausted  upon  themselves.  If  his 
righteousness,  as  Amos  showed,  was  over  all  the 
Syrian  states,  and  his  pity  and  power  to  convert,  as 
Isaiah  showed,  covered  even  the  cities  of  Phoenicia, 
the  great  evangelist  of  the  exile  could  declare  that 
he  quenched  not  the  smoking  wicks  of  the  dim 
heathen  faiths." 

The  Prophet  When  we  turn  to  the  book  of  Daniel 

Daniel.  we  find  oursclvcs  on  one  of  the  battle- 

grounds of  interpretation.  The  apocalyptic  elements 
of  Daniel's  vision  and  those  in  the  prophecy  of 
Ezekiel  form  the  background  of  John's  glowing 
Apocalypse  with  which  the  New  Testament  closes. 
The  diverse  theories  regarding  the  meaning  of  those 
apocalyptic  elements  are  almost  as  numerous  as  the 
commentators.  Such  speculations  are  quite  apart 
from  the  purpose  of  this  brief  survey,  as  are  other 
disputes  in  regard  to  the  date  of  composition.  Wheth- 
er the  book  of  Daniel,  as  we  now  have  it,  is  of  single 
or  composite  authorship,  we  know  that  all  of  it  was 
written  before  the  translation  of  the  Old  Testament 
into  Greek,  during  the  third  century,  B.C.  Its  mis- 
sionary message  may  be  found  by  both  radicals  and 
conservatives. 

The  Stone  that  In  the  second  chapter  there  is  an 
became  a  great  account  of  Daniel's  interpretation  of 
mountain.  ^  dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  which 

none  of  the  king's  astrologers  or  sorcerers  could  in- 
terpret. The  king  dreamed  of  a  great  image  with 
head  of  gold,  breast  and  arms  of  silver,  belly  and 
thighs  of  brass,  legs  of  iron,  and  feet  part  iron  and 
part  clay.  Then  he  dreamed  of  a  stone  cut  out  with- 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  47 

out  hands,  which  broke  the  great  image  in  pieces  like 
the  chafFof  the  summer  threshing  floor,  but  the  stone 
became  a  great  mountain  and  filled  the  whole  earth. 
Our  attention  is  fixed  not  on  what  Daniel  says 
about  the  four  earthly  kingdoms  that  shall  arise  in 
succession,  but  on  his  prophetic  declaration  that 
upon  the  destruction  of  the  fourth  kingdom: 

"In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a 
kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  destroyed:  and  the  kingdom  shall 
not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  con- 
sume all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  forever.  Forasmuch 
as  thou  sawest  that  the  stone  was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  with- 
out hands,  and  that  it  brake  in  pieces  the  iron,  the  brass,  the 
clay,  the  silver,  and  the  gold;  the  great  God  hath  made  known  to 
the  king  what  shall  come  to  pass  hereafter:  and  the  dream  is 
certain,  and  the  interpretation  thereof  is  sure."     Dan.  ii,  44-45. 

The  great  Here  we  have  reiterated   the  great 

expectation.  hope  that  we  have  found  expressed 

with  varying  degrees  of  clearness  in  all  the  prophets 
— the  hope  of  a  Messianic  Kingdom.  This  indubit- 
able fact  is  one  of  the  mysteries  in  human  history. 
Why  should  the  Jew  have  cherished  it,  unless  it  were 
given  by  that  Spirit  of  God  who  was  speaking  in 
the  hearts  of  men.?  This  expectation,  phrased  in  such 
noble  imagery,  was  fulfilled  in  the  days  of  the  break- 
up of  Rome's  kingdom  of  iron  and  clay,  when  the 
Lord  Jesus  came  preaching  in  Galilee,  "The  King- 
dom is  at  hand." 
^,  ,        ,    Of  the  obscurer  elements  in  Daniel's 

Obscure  elements.      .... 

Vision  It  IS  not  necessary  to  speak. 
Since  our  Lord  himself  declared  that  he  did  not 
know  'the  day  or  the  hour,'  we  can  hardly  expect  to 
learn  it  by  calculations  based  on  Daniel's  prophecy. 


48  The  Bible  and  Missions 

What  is  dark  to  us  now  may  some  day  be  made 
plain,  but  one  thing  is  plain,  the  confident  looking 
forward  to  the  reign  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  power. 
Through  all  the  obscurities  of  apocalyptic  vision 
certain  promises  shine  out  like  stars;  by  them  we  may 
guide  our  course  until  the  night  is  gone. 
The  prophet  The  prophet  Joel  has  left  us  one  of 

of  Pentecost.  the  noblest  visions  of  the  Old  Testa- 

ment in  his  prophecy  of  the  pouring  out  of  the  Spirit 
on  all  humanity,  so  that  old  men  shall  dream  dreams 
and  young  men  shall  see  visions,  and  even  upon  the 
servants  and  the  hand-maidens  shall  the  Spirit  be 
poured  out.  In  the  great  experience  of  the  Day  of 
Pentecost  the  disciples  realized  a  fulfilment  of  this 
prophetic  expectation.  But  that  was  only  the  be- 
ginning of  fulfilment.  In  every  land  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  today  giving  power  to  speak  for  God  and  wit- 
ness for  Christ.  In  the  long  dispensation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  grace  is  poured  out  upon  all  man- 
kind. 

Jonah,  the  It   remains    to   speak   of  a   prophet 

Missionary.  whose  book  is  in  many  respects  the 

culminating  message  of  the  Old  Testament.  While 
men  have  gaped  at  the  whale,  they  have  quite  over- 
looked the  lesson  which  the  story  is  meant  to  teach, 
whether  we  belong  among  the  severe  literalists,  or  to 
the  company  of  those  who  understand  the  prophet 
to  be  making  use  of  a  parable  or  allegory  to  enforce 
the  truth  committed  to  him.  Since  questions  of 
Biblical  criticism  are  outside  the  purpose  of  this 
brief  study,  let  us  dismiss  from  our  minds  any  ques- 
tion regarding  the  setting  of  the  tale,  and  go  at  once 
to  the  missionary  heart  of  it. 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  49 

A  text  for  Jonah's  Acts  xi,  1 8,  might  well  be  taken  for 
prophecy.  the   text  of  the   sermon,   *'God  has 

granted  to  the  Gentiles  also  repentance  unto  life." 
Jonah  runs  away  Nineveh,  the  great,  had  already  fallen 
from  God.  suddenly,  irretrievably  from  her  im- 

perial power, — a  fall  to  which  the  sudden  collapse 
of  Vienna  offers  only  a  feeble  analogy, — when  Jeho- 
vah purposed  to  send  a  message  of  mercy  to  the  citi- 
zens of  this  heathen  city  by  the  mouth  of  the  proph- 
et Jonah.  Jonah  arose  to  flee,  not  from  the  perils 
of  the  journey,  but  because,  as  he  said,  he  knew  the 
nature  of  the  God  who  was  sending  him  forth,  *A  God 
gracious  and  tender  and  long  suffering,  plenteous  in 
love  and  repenting  of  evil,"  and  feared  that  God 
might  actually  make  him  the  agent  of  his  grace  upon 
the  heathen.  Jonah  started  to  go  to  the  ultimate 
West,  the  end  of  the  Mediterranean,  to  get  away  from 
his  hated  mission.  The  hound  of  heaven,  God*s 
hurricane,  pursued  the  runaway  and  flung  him,  re- 
pentant, into  the  sea  and  into  the  belly  of  a  great  sea 
monster  whom  God  had  prepared.  Out  of  the 
depths  Jonah  cried  unto  his  God  and  was  delivered 
to  be  sent  for  a  second  time  on  the  mission  which  he 
had  refused. 

God's  purpose  in  Though  Outwardly  obedient,  Jonah 
Nineveh.  was  not  in  spirit  reconciled  to  God's 

great  purpose  of  mercy  to  the  inhabitants  of  a  city 
that  had  not  known  God's  name.  The  repentance  of 
the  men  ot  Nineveh  which  followed  upon  Jonah*s 
summons,  had  as  its  purpose,  according  to  George 
Adam  Smith,  to  teach  the  chosen  people  that  ''out 
there,  beyond  the  Covenant,  in  the  great  world  lying 
in  darkness,  there  live,  not  beings  created  for  igno- 


50  The  Bible  and  Missions 

ranee  and  hostility  to  God,  elect  for  destruction,  ^  ut 
men  with  consciences  and  hearts,  able  to  turn  at  His 
Word  and  to  hope  in  His  Mercy — that  to  the  farthest 
ends  of  the  world,  and  even  on  the  high  places  of 
unrighteousness.  Word  and  Mercy  work  juiit  as  they 
do  within  the  Covenant." 

The  irony  of  And  the  prophet,  looking  upon  the 

God.  effect  of  his  message,  was  not  glad, 

but  grieved,  jealous  that  the  God,  the  Covenant  God 
of  Israel,  was  admitting  others  to  his  mercy.  Over 
the  peevish  prophet  God  caused  a  great  gourd  to 
grow  as  a  shade  from  the  fierce  sun,  and  then  shrivel- 
ed it  with  destruction.  To  the  fainting  prophet 
grieving  over  the  loss  of  his  gourd,  God  spoke  in 
words  of  gentlest  irony;  **Thou  carest  for  a  gourd  for 
which  thou  hast  not  travailed,  a  thing  that  came  in 
a  night,  and  shall  I  not  care  for  Nineveh,  that  great 
city  in  which  there  are  more  than  twelve  times  ten 
thousand  children  (persons  that  can  not  discern  be- 
tween their  right  hand  and  their  left  hand)  and  also 
much  cattle.^"  Thus  does  God  vindicate  his  bound- 
less love  and  pity  for  all  creatures  that  he  has  made, 
to  the  jealousy  which  would  appropriate  such  love 
and  pity  even  for  the  chosen  people. 
We  have  our  If  ever  an  age  needed  the  missionary 

Nineveh.  mcssagc  of  the  Book  of  Jonah,  it  is 

our  own.  The  physical  barriers  between  the  nations 
are  down.  We  may  take  ship  to  Tarshish  and  dwell 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  but  still  our 
jealous  hearts  are  slow  to  believe  in  a  God  of  the 
whole  world.  That  God  has  purposes  of  mercy  to- 
ward England  and  America,  we  know,  but  that  Japan 
and  China,  too,  are  within  the  circle  of  his  plan,  we 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  51 

seem  to  question.    It  is  a  great  thing  to  discover  in  the 
Old  Testament,  in  the  days  of  men's  ignorance,  a 
purpose  that  includes  Jew  and  Gentile  in  its  ample 
folds,  a  revelation  of  a  message  for  Man. 
Summary  of  Reviewing  the  ground  already  cover- 

ground  covered,  ed,  we  have  found  in  the  very  nature 
of  the  Bible  a  Missionary  Charter;  and  in  its  teach- 
ings a  Plan  of  the  Ages,  evident  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, clearly  revealed  in  the  New.  In  a  brief  sur- 
vey of  the  various  divisions  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures,  we  have  found  definite  missionary 
lessons  in  every  part,  but  most  clearly  wrought  out 
in  the  Psalms  and  the  Prophets.  These  missionary 
teachings  we  have  seen  include:  (i)  A  statement  of 
the  blessing  for  all  the  race  held  in  trust  by  the 
chosen  people:  (2)  A  growing  belief  in  the  coming  of 
a  universal  Kingdom  of  God  under  the  sway  of  a 
Messianic  ruler:  (3)  The  universality  of  the  Provi- 
dential Government  of  God  among  the  nations: 
(4)  The  emergence  of  a  message  for  the  individual 
believer  as  well  as  for  the  nation:  (5)  The  distinct 
teaching  that  heathen  nations  are  instruments  of 
God:  (6)  The  preaching  of  God's  purposes  of  mercy 
to  those  outside  the  law:  (7)  The  sudden  coming  of 
the  Messenger,  and  the  setting  up  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God. 


OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  II. 

aim:  To  show  that  the  missionary  principles  laid  down  in  the 
Old  Testament  are  fully  revealed  in  the  New  in  the  funda- 
mental teachings  of  Jesus;  in  his  life;  and  in  his  commands 
to  his  disciples;  and  that  these  principles  are  exemplified 
in  the  life  of  the  Apostolic  Church, 

Rooted  in  the  Old  Testament,  the  New  blossoms  with 
glorious  intimations  of  universality  in  the  very  setting  of 
Jesus'  life.  Its  missionary  message  is  found, 

I.  IN  THE  TWO   FUNDAMENTAL  REVELATIONS  OF  JESUS. 

1.  His  disclosure  of  God  the  Father ,  transcendent  as  well  as 
immanent;  righteous  as  well  as  loving;  just  as  well  as 
forgiving;  fatherly  to  all  men;  a  Father  to  his  filial  sons. 

2.  His  teaching  about  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven, 

a.  Kingdom  of  Heaven  no  new  idea. 

b.  Cherished  as  noblest  hope  of  Judaism. 

c.  Nature  of  Christ's  teachings  about  the  coming  of  the 
Kingdom — not  by  revolution,  but  by  silent  transforma- 
tion; not  a  national  privilege,  but  a  universal  hope. 

d.  The  Kingdom  at  hand. — Why  then  does  it  tarry.? 
It  need  not  tarry. 

e.  The  delayed  triumph  of  the  Kingdom  implied  in  his 
parables. 

f.  How  pass  the  long  night  of  waiting?  With  loyal  obedi- 
ence, subordination  of  all  else  to  the  Kingdom;  with 
calm  confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  King- 
dom; with  eager  longing  for  its  speedy  consummation. 

II.  IN  THE  LIFE  AND  DIRECT  COMMANDS  OF  JESUS. 

I.     Jesus  was  himself  a  missionary. 

a.  His  first  evangelizing  tour, — Woman  of  Samaria; 
Seed  sowing  and  harvest. 

b.  Choice  of  Twelve  Disciples. 

c.  Training  and  sending  out  of  the  Twelve. 

d.  Enlarging  circles  of  Ministry. 

e.  Establishing  a  base  line  for  the  Gospel. 


Message  of  the  Old  Testament  53 

2.     Missionary  commands  oj  Jesus. 

a.  Missionary  message  not  dependent  on  spoken  com- 
mand, but  inherent  in  the  Gospel. 

b.  Command  four  times  repeated, — twice  in  Upper 
Room;  on  a  hill  top;  just  before  his  ascension. 

III.       IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  TEACHINGS  AND  LIFE  OF  CHURCH. 

a.  Acts,  the  great  Text-book  of  Missions, — Expansion 
of  Church;  strategy  of  occupation;  demand  for  heroism. 

b.  Paul's  statement  of  missionary  principles. 

c.  Emergence  of  Missionary  Finance. 

d.  Lay  ministry  in  the  early  Church. 

e.  Prominence  of  Women. 

f.  Fraternal  and  Missionary  spirit. 

g.  Missionary  Program  of  Early  Church:  An  Uplifted 
Christ;  Audacity  of  faith;  Participation  in  the  task; 
Reliance  upon  spiritual  means;  Willingness  to  suffer  or 
die;  A  buoyant  hopefulness. 

h.  Missionary  Message  of  the  Apocalypse:  Written 
during  terrible  persecutions  to  encourage  believers; 
Presents  Christ's  triumphant  Kingdom;  Social  passion 
of  Christianity;  Doom  of  Materialistic  Civilization; 
Shining  vision  of  New  Jerusalem. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  MISSIONARY  MESSAGE  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT 

"The  Kingdom  is  an  idea  as  broad  as  mankind,  as  inclusive  as  life  itself,  and 
as  Christian  as  the  Gospel."  Rauschenbusch. 

From  the  twilight  When  we  turn  from  the  Old  Testa- 
of  the  Old  to  the  ment  to  the  New  in  our  study  of  the 
sunlight  of  the  missionary  message  of  the  Bible,  it 
New.  is  like  passing  out  of  a  dimly  lighted 

room  into  glorious  sunshine,  or  like  walking  beside 
a  broad,  deep  river,  after  following  a  rill  of  sweet 
water.  For  the  New  Testament  is  missionary  from 
beginning  to  end;  in  its  plan,  in  its  teachings,  in  its 
philosophy.  In  one  flashing  circlet  John  iii,  i6  in- 
cludes the  whole  gospel: 

"for  god  so  LOVED  THE  WORLD  THAT  HE  GAVE 
HIS  ONLY  BEGOTTEN  SON,  THAT  WHOSOEVER  BELIEV- 
ETH  IN  HIM  SHOULD  NOT  PERISH,  BUT  HAVE  EVERLAST- 
ING LIFE." 

The  New  Cove-  The  missionary  meaning  of  the  New 
nant  rooted  in  the  Testament  grows  out  of  the  Old  as 
0\d,  a  tree  is  rooted  in  the  ground,   as  a 

rose  expresses  the  sweet  heart  of  the  rosebud.  One 
who  reads  the  New  Testament  with  no  background 
of  knowledge  of  the  Old  would  punctuate  many 
pages  with  interrogation  points,  and  much  of  the 
finer  symbolism  of  the  book  would  be  blank  to  him. 
Jesus  based  his  gospel  squarely  on  the  foundation 
laid  in  the  Old  Testament.  It  was  in  the  fulness  of 
time  that  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  55 

made  under  the  Law,  to  redeem  them  that  wereunder 
the  Law.*  It  was  in  the  consummation  of  an  age- 
long purpose  of  mercy  to  all  mankind  that  the 
Good  News  was  published  abroad. 
•Intimations  of  This  great  purpose  is  clearly  seen  in 
Universality.'  the  very  setting  of  the  life  of  Jesus. 
The  promise  of  a  coming  salvation  trembles  through 
the  words  of  the  angel  visitant  to  Mary  and  Eliza- 
beth; and  the  joy  of  the  Messiah  so  long  promjsed 
by  the  ancient  prophets  throbs  through  the  rnusic 
of  the  Magnificat  and  the  Benedicite. 
"The  heavens  When  Jesus  is  born  the  very  sky 
declare  the  glory  blossoms  with  angels  singing  tidings 
of  God."  Qf  ^  great  joy  which  shall  be  to  all 

nations;  neighboring  shepherds  crowd  about  him, 
and  splendid  visitors  follow  his  Star  from  out  the 
Ancient  East. 

The  Gospel  in  In  aged  Simeon  the  Law  seems  to 
the  arms  of  the  stand,  holding  the  new-born  Gospel 
^^^-  in  its  arms  as  he  cries, 

"Now,  Master,  thou  canst  let  thy  servant  go,  and  go  in  peace, 
as  thou  didst  promise;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  saving  power 
which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  the  peoples, 
to  be  a  light  of  revelation  for  the  Gentiles,  and  a  glory  to  thy 
people  Israel." 

Luke  ii,  29-32  (Moffatt's  translation). 

About  him  all  The  infant  Jesus  is  carried  into  Egypt 
nations  cluster.  and  returns  to  make  his  home,  not 
in  the  royal  city  of  David,  but  'in  despised  Naza- 
reth/ Among  the  crowds  which  follow  him  we  find 
Romans  as  well  as  Jews,  dispatriated  tax  collectors, 
Samaritans,  Syro-Phoenicians,  Greeks,  and  African 
Simon  of  Cyrene,  apolyglot  cross-section  of  humanity. 


56  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Above  him  on  the  cross  stood  the  inscription  written 
in  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin,  in  mute  prophecy  of 
the  diffusion  of  his  words  among  the  nations. 

Two  centers  ot  On  this  beautiful  background  of 
Jesus'  thought.  universality  Jesus  paints  his  gospel 
for  man.  There  are  two  centers  to  his  thought: 
(i)  The  Father  God,  whom  he  has  come  to  reveal, 
and  (2)  The  Kingdom  of  God,  which  he  has  come 
to  establish. 

Christ's  Message  (i)  We  have  already  seen  that  the 
of  the  Father.  Bible  teaching  about  God  was  in  its 
very  essence  a  trust  for  mankind.  What  is  true  in 
degree  about  the  whole  Bible  is  uniquely  true  about 
Jesus'  thought  of  God.  Above  the  revelation  of  the 
God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hovers 
the  very  Shekinah  of  the  New  Testament.  In  that 
light  all  creedal  and  national  and  racial  limitations 
disappear  as  the  Son  of  Man  unveils  the  Eternal. 
The  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
none  other  than  humanity's  one  true  and  living  God. 

Both  Father  and  The  modern  thought  of  God  has 
Lord.  swung  so  far  away  from  the  Jewish 

thought  of  the  transcendent  holiness  and  absolute 
power  and  justice  of  God  that  it  comes  with  a  shock 
of  surprise  to  us  to  find  that  our  Lord,  as  Titius  has 
said,  did  not  emphasize  God's  omnipotence  and  infi- 
nite sublimity  one  whit  less  than  did  the  Jewish 
view,  but  rather  ''deepened  it  and  intensified  it  to  the 
absolute  uttermost."  It  is  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth, 
the  God  who  ''can  not  abide  iniquity  and  the  solemn 
assembly,"  the  God  who  demands  clean  hands  and 
pure  hearts  in  his  worshippers,  and  who  is  able  to 


SCRIPTURE  COMMITTEE,  NORTH  SIAM  MISSION 

Translating  Proverbs  in  Lao.     From   right  to  left  they  are: 

Rev.  Roderick  Gillis,  D.D. ;  Nai  Oh;  Rev.  Howard  Campbell. 

D.D.;  J.  W.  McLean,  AI.D. ;  Elder  Chaiwana;  Rev.  Kam  Ai : 

the  A.  B.  S.  Agent. 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  57 

destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell  (Matt,  x,  28) 
whom  Jesus  reveals  as  the  Heavenly  Father.  "That 
is  the  paradox  of  Christ's  revelation  of  God  to  us," 
says  Hogg;  ''Fear  and  love, — love  casting  out  fear; 
fear  deepening  and  purifying  love.  Our  Father, 
therefore,  near  us  and  in  us;  yet  our  Father  in 
Heaven,  and,  therefore,  at  the  same  time  absolutely 
exalted  above  us." 

Over  all  and  in  In  the  religions  that  emphasize  God's 
all  God,  blessed  immanence,  as  does  Hinduism,  men 
forever.  ^^j^^  Constantly  to  drift  into  panthe- 

ism, and  to  lose  any  clear  conception  of  the  black- 
ness and  power  of  sin,  or  the  necessity  of  personal 
righteousness.  In  a  religion  that  emphasizes  God's 
transcendence,  as  does  Islam,  men  tend  to  dritt 
into  formalism  and  fatalism.  Only  in  the  teachings 
of  Jesus  does  mankind  find  a  revelation  of  God  infi- 
nite in  holiness  and  absolute  in  power,  who  is  also 
the  Father,  more  eager  than  are  earthly  fathers  to 
give  good  gifts  to  their  little  children,  whose  love 
runs  out  to  the  prodigal  while  still  in  the  far  country, 
and  whose  Holy  Spirit  makes  his  dwelling  place  in 
the  hearts  of  his  humble  worshippers. 
God's  Fatherhood  Jesus'  teaching  regarding  the  Father- 
for  all  mankind,  hood  of  God  has  become  so  much  the 
possession  of  man's  common  thought  that  it  is  the 
general  idea  that  the  Christian  message  may  be 
summed  up  in  the  phrase  ''Fatherhood  of  God  and 
brotherhood  of  man."  It  is,  however,  necessary  to 
distinguish  two  senses  in  which  the  terms  are  used, 
(i)  By  the  phrase  "Fatherhood  of  God  and  brother- 
hood of  man"  is  generally  meant  that  all  mankind, 
being  made  in  the  likeness  of  God,  are  his  offspring, 


58  The  Bible  and  Missions 

sharing  the  Divine  nature,  with  the  ineradicable 
stamp  of  his  image  on  their  souls,  however  blurred 
and  faint  that  image  may  be. 

"Though  he  is  so  bright  and  we  are  so  dim, 
We  are  made  in  his  likeness  to  image  him." 

Out  of  this  common  relation  to  our  Father,  God, 
springs  the  fact  of  human  brotherhood,  overleaping 
all  barriers  of  race  or  nationality  or  social  condition. 
This  great  truth  is  undoubtedly  taught  in  the  Bible, 
in  the  Old  Testament  by  implication,  in  the  New  as 
the  basis  of  our  Lord's  teaching  and  that  of  his 
apostles.  The  Fatherly  God  who,  through  all  the 
ages,  has  been  going  forth  to  meet  his  lost  son  while 
he  was  yet  a  long  way  off;  the  God  in  whom  there  is 
no  respecter  of  persons,  is  that  One  from  whom  every 
fatherhood  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named. 

God's  true  and  (2)  But  there  is  a  deeper  and  more 
filial  sons.  intimate,  a  more  intensive  and,  there- 

fore, less  extensive  sense  in  which  the  Lord  Jesus  uses 
the  term,  that  has  great  force  in  considering  the 
missionary  message  of  the  New  Testament.  Is  there 
a  sense  in  which  Christ  teaches  that  his  disciples  are 
sons  of  God  and  therefore  brothers,  which  can  not 
be  affirmed  of  all  men.^  A  patient  study  of  his 
words  seems  to  establish  this  without  doubt.  It  is 
a  real  spiritual  union  between  God  and  man  of  which 
Jesus  is  speaking,  and  not  of  a  possible  or  metaphy- 
sical relationship.  It  is  the  gentle,  the  forgiving,  the 
merciful,  the  peace-makers,  who  are  called  children 
of  God.  It  is  those  who  love  their  enemies,  do  good 
to  those  who  hate  them,  pray  for  their  persecutors, 
that  are  the  sons  of  the  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  It 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  59 

is  those  who  do  good  and  lend,  never  despairing, 
whom  Jesus  calls  sons  of  the  Most  High,  who  is  kind 
to  the  unthankful  and  evil.  It  is  those  who  enter  in- 
to their  secret  place  of  prayer,  whose  Father,  seeing 
in  secret,  shall  recompense;  and  it  is  whoever  does  the 
will  of  Jesus*  Father  in  heaven  whom  he  recognizes 
as  brother,  sister,  mother.*  As  John  says  (John  i, 
11-12): 

"He  came  to  his  own  creation,  yet  his  own  folk  did  not  wel- 
come him.  But  to  all  who  did  receive  him,  to  them  he  has  given 
the  right  of  becoming  children  of  God,  even  to  those  who  trust 
in  his  name,  who  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God." 

A  new  and  living  The  missionary  implications  of  this 
Way  to  the  Father,  truth  are  momentous.  Failure  to  per- 
ceive it  is  back  of  much  indifference  to  the  world- 
wide obligation  of  Christianity.  Christ  did  not  come 
simply  to  reaffirm  a  divine  sonship  in  which  all  men 
share.  In  that  case  we  might  rest  quite  tranquilly 
on  the  hope  that  sooner  or  later  all  men  would  enter 
into  the  privileges  of  their  sonship.  He  came  to  re- 
veal a  new  and  living  Way  to  the  Father;  to  make 
possible  a  new  and  blessed  fellowship  with  him,  in 
order  that  through  this  new  relationship  he  might 
establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
The  absoluteness  Unless  we  understand  the  nature  of 
of  Christ's  claims,  this  blessedness  revealed  in  Christ, 
some  of  his  own  declarations  may  sound  harsh  to  us. 
"All  things  have  been  handed  to  me  by  my  Father,  and  no  one 
fully  knows  the  Son  except  the  Father,  nor  does  any  one  fully 
know  the  Father  except  the  Son  and  all  to  whom  the  Son  chooses 
to  reveal  Him." 


*See  Shailer  Mathews's  illuminating  discussion  of  the  whole  question  {Social 
Teachings  0/ Jesus,  pp.  64-6C)). 


6o  The  Bible  and  Missions 

"I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  Hfe;  no  man  cometh  unto  the 
Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have  known 
my  Father  also;  and  from  henceforth  ye  know  him,  and  have 
seen  him." 

The  Riches  of  There  IS  no  harshness  here,  but  only 
God  in  Christ.  a  declaration  of  the  exclusive  claim 
on  human  reverence  and  obedience  inherent  in  the 
nature  of  the  message.  God's  grace  has  found  a  way 
so  to  express  itself  through  the  person  and  words  of 
Christ  that  the  resources  of  Divinity  are  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  men.  It  is  in  Christ  we  have  our 
access,  in  Christ  we  realize  our  sonship,  in  Christ 
we  put  off  the  old  man  and  put  on  that  new  life  born 
from  above;  in  Christ  we  who  were  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins  are  made  alive  by  the  power  of  God: 
in  Christ  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  heart:>. 
This  is  what  the  New  Testament  calls  The  Good 
News.  This  it  is  that  we  are  commissioned  to  tell 
to  the  whole,  wide  world,  that  God  was  *  i  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  to  himself. 

Privileges  of  From  sheer  familiarity  with  the  priv- 

christian  son?hip.  ileges  of  Christian  sonship,  we  fail 
to  recognize  their  unique  and  precious  character. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Christian  consciousness  of 
sonship  is  the  gift  of  Christ.  It  does  not  exist  apart 
from  him.  One  of  the  glorious  privileges  of  the 
missionary's  life  is  to  see  the  dawning  of  the  new 
sense  of  sonship  in  the  face  of  one  who  learns  of  its 
possibility  for  the  first  time.  The  consciousness  of 
sin  forgiven,  of  the  warm,  sweet,  tender  love  of  a 
Father,  God,  of  springs  of  love  rising  in  the  heart  to 
meet  his  great  love,  of  a  new  brotherhood  with 
fellow  man,  these  are  the  gift  of  Christ. 


Message  of  the  New  Testament         6i 

Christ's  Message  (2)  Growing  out  of  Jesus'  thought  of 
of  the  Kingdom.  God  was  his  message  of  the  King- 
dom. The  term  'Father'  is  found  oftenest  on  his 
Hps;  but  hardly  less  characteristic  is  the  phrase 
^Kingdom  of  God'  or  'Kingdom  of  Heaven.'  There 
are  122  passages  in  the  Gospels  that  contain  refer- 
ences to  the  Kingdom;  §^  occur  in  Matthew,  19  in 
Mark,  44  in  Luke,  and  4  in  John.  Many  of  these 
occur  in  parallel  passages. 

'Church'  replaces  It  is  significant  to  note  the  change  of 
'Kingdom.*  emphasis  that  occurred  later  in  the 

New  Testament  and  in  the  Church.  The  term  'God, 
the  Father,'  continues  to  characterize  the  other 
books  of  the  New  Testament,  as  it  does  the  Gospels, 
although  it  is  not  used  half  so  often  in  all  the  other 
books  put  together  as  in  the  Gospels.  But  another 
idea,  'the  Church,'  replaces  the  'Kingdom  of  Heaven' 
in  the  attention  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament. 
The  Kingdom  is  mentioned  eight  times  in  Acts,  once 
in  Romans,  four  times  in  First  Corinthians,  once 
each  in  Galatians  and  Ephesians,  twice  in  Colossians, 
once  in  each  letter  to  the  Thessalonians,  twice  in 
Second  Timothy  and  three  times  in  Revelation. 
The  Kingdom,  The  missionary  message  of  Jesus' 
no  new  idea.  teaching    about    the    Kingdom    will 

become  evident  as  we  study  a  little  more  closely  the 
meaning  of  the  term.  We  note  in  the  beginning  that 
Jesus  did  not  invent  it.  He  simply  used  it.  Neither 
did  he  define  it,  as  would  have  been  necessary,  had 
he  introduced  an  idea  strange  to  the  people.  He 
took  an  old  idea,  widely  held  and  deeply  cherished, 
and  enlarged  and  spiritualized  it.  Doubtless  he  had 
found  the  idea  in  the  ancient  Scriptures  which  he 


62  The  Bible  and  Missions 

pondered  so  deeply  and  knew  so  intimately.  It  is 
fascinating  to  think  of  the  boy  Jesus  reading  words  of 
Isaiah  or  Jeremiah.  How  the  words  would  open  to 
him  *skyey  meanings  in  which  great  promises  shone 
faithfully  like  stars!' 

Popular  under-  What  then  was  the  popular  under- 
standing of  the  standing  of  the  term,  Kingdom  of 
Kingdom.  Qq^?  i^  ^l^g  j^yg  Qf  Christ  there  was 

a  widespread  expectation  of  a  Messianic  Kingdom 
which  was  shortly  to  be  set  up  by  the  direct  power 
of  God.  It  was  to  be  a  new  Jewish  State  in  which 
God's  Anointed,  the  Messiah,  was  to  rule  in  right- 
eousness. All  Jev/s  were  to  be  members  of  the  King- 
dom, and  all  other  nations  subject.  Of  its  glories  no 
pen  could  fitly  write. 

The  noblest  Now  this  great  thought  of  the  King- 

Hebrew  hopes.  dom  had  grown  up  through  the  ages  of 
Israel's  wanderings  and  sufferings.  It  meant  differ- 
ent things  to  different  minds;  to  Isaiah  and  the 
prophets  it  was  a  great  spiritual  hope;  to  the  crowd 
it  was  often  chiefly  attractive  for  its  material  glories. 
The  Kingdom  It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  in  the  his- 
hope  shone  bright-  tory  of  religion  that  the  very  catas- 
est  m  the  dark.  trophies  and  tragedies  in  the  life  of 
Israel  which  seemed  likeliest  to  have  destroyed  all 
faith  in  God  did,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  arouse  ever 
keener  and  more  passionate  anticipations  of  the 
coming  Kingdom.  In  it  we  may  reverently  discern 
the  revelation  of  God  himself  to  the  soul  of  his 
chosen  people.  As  ever  fresh  calamities  overtook 
the  nation,  the  prophet  souls  whispered, 

"Wait  for  the  news  of  his  coming.  Soon  and  sud- 
denly he  whom  we  look  for  will  come  into  his  tem- 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  6^ 

pie."  The  sense  of  immediacy  had  but  deepened 
during  the  centuries,  until  when  John  the  Baptist 
appeared  in  the  wilderness,  renewing  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  prophets,  all  Jerusalem  flocked  out  to 
hear  him. 

Jesus  proclaims  After  John  had  been  thrown  into 
the  Kingdom.  prison,  Jesus  came  into  Galilee,  pro- 
claiming God's  Good  News,  and  this  was  his  proc- 
lamation: **The  time  has  fully  come,  and  the  King- 
dom of  God  is  close  at  hand;  repent  and  believe  the 
Good  News."  That  this  was  the  subject  of  his 
preaching  is  shown  in  the  summary  which  Matthew 
gives : 

"Then  Jesus  traveled  through  all   Galilee,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues  and  proclaiming  the   Good  News  of  the  Kingdom, 
and  curing  every  kind  of  disease  and  infirmity  among  the  people." 
Matt,  iv,  23-25.     See  also  Matt,  ix,  2^-26. 

The  nature  of  Throughout  the  Gospel  narrative 
Jesus*  teaching  Jesus  is  engaged  in  teaching  his 
of  the  Kingdom  disciples  the  true  meaning  of  this 
Kingdom  of  God  which  he  has  already  set  up  among 
them.  His  teachings  form  the  very  heart  of  our  Chris- 
tian message.  In  this  brief  study  it  will  be  possible 
only  to  point  out  a  few  of  them. 
(a)  Not  a  Jesus  refused  to  bring  in  the  reign  of 

revolution;  God   by  a  revolution.   When  he  was 

tempted  in  the  v/ilderness  to  choose  the  easy  way  of 
political  revolution,  rather  than  the  hard  way  of  the 
Cross,  he  put  it  behind  him;  when  the  people  tried 
to  make  him  a  King,  he  hid  himself;  to  his  dis- 
ciples, eager  for  place  and  power  in  the  New  King- 
dom, he  explained  that  the  only  greatness  in  the 
Kingdom  was  service. 


64  The  Bible  and  Missions 

_  ^  .,  ^  r  In  our  work  for  the  Kingdom  of  God 
But  a  silent  force     .     .  .  1  1  •        1 

It  IS  most  important  that  this  phase 

of  our  Lord's  thought  about  the  Kingdom  be  kept 
;  steadily  in  mind.  The  Kingdom  of  God  is,  indeed,  a 
jrevolutionary  force  in  the  world,  but  it  is  not  to  be 
(set  up  by  revolution.  Silent  and  unseen  as  are  all 
•forces  of  the  first  order,  the  Kingdom  works  within 
jthe  soul  of  man  and  then,  when  the  work  is  done,  a 
new  day  is  ushered  in  with  all  the  miracle  that  at- 
tends the  dawn. 

Temptation  to  There  is  a  constant  temptation  to 
trust  in  lower  forget  this  and  to  seek  to  win  the 
methods.  world  to  ChHst  by  the  very  methods 

he  pushed  one  side;  to  trust  to  political  reform,  to 
social  amelioration,  to  better  environment  (things 
all  good  in  themselves,  and  to  be  desired),  to  bring  the 
Kingdom,  and  to  despise  or  to  overlook  the  very 
simple  measures  on  which  Jesus  relied. 
"And  Germany  Said  a  social  worker  in  New  York, 
had  both."  '*Ther    are  only  two   things   needed 

to  reconstruct  the  world."  "What  are  they.'*" 
asked  her  friend.  ''Compulsory  sanitation  and  uni- 
versal education,"  was  the  answer.  "Has  it  ever 
occurred  to  you,"  replied  her  friend,  "that  Germany 
had  both  in  abundance.^" 

The  might  of  The   follower  of  Jesus   can   never   ex- 

meekness,  pect  to  advance   his  Kingdom   by  a 

resort   to  violence;   he  must   always  believe  in   the 
might  of  meekness,  and  seek  to  transform  life  from 
the  centre  outward. 
I  (b)  Not  a  national  Jesus  disappointed  the  high  nation- 
I  religion.  alistic    and    patriotic    hopes    of    the 

people,  and  so  blighted  their  budding  loyalty.  They 


Message  of  the  New   Testament  65 

were  enraged  when  he  pointed  out  to  them  in  the 
synagogue  at  Capernaum  that  on  the  testimony  of 
their  own  Scriptures  God  had  reached  out  to  show 
special  mercy  to  t)ie  widow  of  Zarephath  and  to 
Naaman  the  Syrian.  He  commended  the  faith  of 
the  Roman  centurion,  saying,  "I  have  not  found  so 
great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel."  He  raised  a  monument 
to  the  faith  of  the  Syro-Phoenician  woman.  He 
angered  and  embittered  all  the  orthodox  of  his 
day  by  his  parables  of  the  vine-dressers  and  the 
wedding  feast.  ''The  Kingdom  of  God  v/ill  be  taken 
away  from  you  and  given  to  a  nation  that  will  exhibit 
the  pov/er  of  it."  (Matt,  xxi,  28-46.)  He  held  up  a 
hated  Samaritan  rather  than  the  priest  or  Levite,  as 
the  good  citizen.  He  spoke  the  deepest  truths  about 
his  mission  to  a  poor  Samaritan  woman  by  the 
wellside.  Everything  exclusive,  haughty,  selfish,  or 
materialistic  in  the  common  idea  of  the  Kingdom  he 
sv/ept  away.  Imagine  the  wrath  excited  in  patriotic 
breasts  when  Jesus  said: 

"There  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  when  ye  shall 
see  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  prophets,  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  and  you  yourselves  thrust  out. 

"And  they  shall  come  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and 
from  the  north,  and  from  the  south,  and  shall  sit  down  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God. 

"And,  behold,  there  are  last  which  shall  be  first,  and  there  are 
first  which  shall  be  last." 

Christianity  not  The  Son  of  Man  still  goes  about  our 
the  property  of  streets.  Still  rebukes  our  narrow  ideas 
Anglo-Saxons.  ^f  j^is  heavenly  Kingdom,  still  calls 
us  to  look  up  from  our  preoccupation  with  secondary 
truths,  and  look  through  his  eyes  of  love  at  mankind. 
We  are  trustees  of  the  gospel,  not  its  owners. 


66  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Christ's  message  When  John  the  Baptist's  faith  failed 
to  John.  him  in  the  days  of  his  imprisonment, 

and  he  began  to  question  the  validity  of  the  vision 
which  was  his  on  the  great  day  when  Jesus  had  come 
to  him  for  baptism,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples  to 
ask  Jesus  if  He  were  in  reality  the  Coming  One,  or 
whether  they  were  still  to  look  for  some  one  else. 
In  this  request  of  John  it  is  evident  that  his  faith  is 
struggling  with  his  preconceptions  of  what  the  King- 
dom of  God  ought  to  be  like.  It  is  to  Jesus  himself 
that  he  takes  his  perplexity,  a  touching  proof  of  his 
unshaken  confidence  in  the  character  of  the  One  on 
whom  he  had  fixed  such  glowing  hopes.  In  answer 
Jesus  quotes  another  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  a  part  of 
the  radiant  vision  of  the  Coming  Kingdom  contained 
in  the  thirty-fifth  chapter. 

"Go  and  report  to  John,"  said  Jesus,  "what  you  have  seen  and 
heard;  that  the  blind  see,  the  lame  wallc,  lepers  are  cleansed,  the 
deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised,  and  the  poor  have  the  Good  News 
proclaimed  to  them.  And  blessed  is  every  one  who  does  not 
stumble  because  of  my  claims." 

It  need  not  The  missionary  implications  of  this 

tarry.  teaching  of  the  Kingdom  are  tremen- 

dous. In  our  Christian  fuith  we  have  no  simple 
system  of  ethics,  no  noble  ritual  of  religious  faith. 
We  have  a  great  overturning,  transforming,  revolu- 
tionary power  to  be  released  throughout  the  world. 
The  Kingdom  now  is.  Its  King  is  present,  working 
by  the  Spirit  of  the  Living  God  on  the  hidden  foun- 
dations of  the  unseen  Empire  of  Jesus  Christ.  With 
no  littleness,  no  sectarian  bitterness,  no  nationalistic 
Hmitations,  all  Christians  everywhere  are  summoned 
to  share  in  the  works  which  our  Lord  taught  us  are 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  67 

the  marks  of  his  present  Kingdom.  With  all  its 
imperfections  the  missionary  cause  is  today  accom- 
plishing these  Messianic  works  among  the  nations 
on  a  scale  large  enough  and  heroic  enough  to  enable 
the  whole  Church  of  Christ  to  rejoice  in  what  it  sees 
and  hears  of  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
(d)  The  triumph  While  our  Lord  teaches  the  possible 
ofthe  Kingdom  to  immediacy  of  the  Kingdom,  he  rec- 
be  delayed.  ognizes  also  its  gradual  coming  and 

delayed  triumph.  The  New  Jerusalem  coming  down 
from  God  out  of  Heaven  is  ever  a  'becoming/  never 
a  'being.'  In  the  Lord's  Prayer  itself  we  can  clearly 
see  that  Jesus  thinks  of  the  Kingdom  as  coming  on 
this  present  earth,  else  why  teach  us  to  pray  for  its 
arrival,  and  also  that  it  is  not  yet  fully  come,  else 
why  pray  for  it  to  come?  Whenever  we  pray,  "Thy 
Kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is 
in  Heaven,"  we  are  asking  for  the  continuance  of  a 
process,  and  for  a  hastening  of  the  day  of  consumma- 
tion. 

Parables  of  the  It  is  in  his  parables  that  Jesus  states 
Kingdom.  most   fully   the   truth  regarding   the 

gradual  growth  and  unfolding  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  The  thirteenth  chapter  of  Matthew  records  a 
group  of  parables  regarding  the  "mysteries  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,"  spoken,  many  of  them,  as  he  sat 
in  a  boat  near  the  shore  of  Galilee.  In  the  parable  of 
the  mustard  seed  we  have  the  growth  of  the  King- 
dom from  the  least  of  all  seeds  to  a  great  tree.  In  the 
parable  of  the  leaven  we  have  its  hidden  working  in 
those  three  measures  of  meal  (in  which  symbol  Jesus 
included  all  mankind  in  one  substance)  "until  the 
whole  was  leavened." 


68  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Jesus  explains  his  Two  of  these  parables,  the  Sower 
Parables.  and   the  Tares   of  the   Field,   Jesus 

himself  late  rexplained  to  his  disciples.  We  find  that 
by  the  seed  he  meant  the  Word  of  God,  by  the  Sower, 
the  Son  of  Man,  by  the  field,  the  worlds  and  by  the 
harvest,  the  consummation  of  tn^  age. 

"My  lord  delays  In  the  parable  about  the  waiting 
his  coming."  servants  (Luke  xii,  35-48)  we  have  an 

intimation  that  the  return  of  the  Master  may  not  be 
until  the  third  watch  of  the  nigh  '    hat  in  the  long 

waiting  the  servants  may  grow  c  and  say  in  the 

heart,  "My  lord  delayeth  his  coming."  In  the  parable 
of  the  pounds  (Luke  xix,  n-28)  the  nobleman  takes 
his  journey  into  a  far  country  to  receive  for  himself 
a  kingdom,  and  to  return.  In  the  parable  of  the 
marriage  feast  (Matt,  xxii,  1-14),  the  whole  long 
course  of  Jewish  history  is  summed  m  under  the 
figure  of  a  day;  it  is  not  an  unre;  inference 

that  the  work  of  the  servants  -' '  :  ..c  king  sent 

out  to  find  guests  for  the  marrh  pQV  may  cover 

equally  extended  periods  of  time. 

Intimations  of  In  the  brief  parable  recounted  in 
long,  watchful  Mark  xiii,  34-37,  while  the  purpose 
waiting.  jg  |.Q  inculcate  vv^atchfulness,  there  is 

again  indicated  the  possibility  that  the  coming  may 
be  delayed  not  only  until  ''cock-crowing,"  but  until 
"morning."  Perhaps  the  clearest  intimation  in  any 
of  the  parables  is  to  be  found  in  Matthew's  great 
story  of  the  Ten  Talents  (Matt,  xxv,  14-30).  Here, 
too,  the  Master,  going  on  a  journey,  delivers  his 
goods  to  his  slaves  and  departs.  Of  his  return  Jesus 
states  (verse  19),  "Now,  after  a  long  time  the  lord 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  69 

of  those  servants  coineth,  and  maketh  a  reckoning 
with  them." 

The  seed  growing  Perhaps  Jesus'  thought  of  the  growth 
secretly.  and  progress  of  the  Kingdom  is  best 

summed  up  in  the  parable  of  the  seed  growing  secret- 
ly, which  only  Mark  preserves:  Chap,  iv,  26-30. 
How  pass  the  long  We  are  now  in  the  period  of  germina- 
night  of  waiting?  tion,  the  long  night  of  waiting.  Christ 
has  given  to  us  each  his  task,  and  bidden  us  to  occupy 
till  he  comes.  With  what  attitude  are  we  to  face  our 
life? 

(i)  JVith  loyal  obedience.  "Thou  say  est  rightly,  I 
am  a  King,"  said  Jesus  to  the  Roman  Governor, 
asking.  He  demands  the  loyalty  of  all  those  who 
would  belong  to  his  heavenly  Kingdom.  No  call- 
ing him  "Lord!  Lord!",  no  working  of  miracles  will 
make  up  for  the  plain  doing  of  his  will.  His'  Kingdom 
belongs  to  the  childlike,  the  gentle,  the  unselfish,  the 
loving — only  they  can  enter  it.  Disciples  must  take 
his  yoke  upon  them  and  learn  of  him.  To  abjure  self 
and  take  up  the  cross  of  sacrificial  service  is  the  price 
of  following.  There  is  no  way  to  serve  him  except 
along  the  road  of  his  commandments. 

(2)  With  subordination  of  all  else  to  the  Kingdom, 
The  sternness  of  Christ's  requirements  that  the  King- 
dom is  to  be  sought  as  the  chief  good  of  life  is  start- 
ling to  those  who  have  taken  their  ideas  of  him 
from  mediaeval  portraits.  With  regal  authority 
Jesus  claims  the  right  of  eminent  domain  for  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  For  it  we  are  to  leave  hom.e  and 
family  and  counfr--  *  t  its  service  we  are  to  endure 
hunger  and  cole.  secution  and  death  itself,  but 

"he  who  endures  to  the  end  shall  be  saved." 


yo  The  Bible  and  Missions 

(3)  ^it^  calm  confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph 
of  the  Kingdom.  Jesus  never  doubted  this.  The  seed 
cast  into  the  ground  was  to  grow  secretly;  the  hidden 
leaven  was  to  work  until  the  whole  was  leavened; 
lifted  up,  he  was  to  draw  the  whole  world  unto  him- 
self; before  him  as  King  on  his  judgment  seat  were 
to  be  gathered  all  nations.  He  did  not  doubt  in  the 
wilderness;  he  did  not  despair  on  the  cross;  he  be- 
queathed his  joy  and  his  peace  to  his  disciples  and 
bade  them  go  forth  with  the  Good  News,  because  all 
power  had  been  given  to  him  and  he  would  be  with 
them  always. 

(4)  With  eager  longing  for  the  speedy  consummation 
of  Christ's  triumph.  How  faint  is  our  hope,  how  lan- 
guid our  endeavor!  We  take  it  quite  as  a  matter  of 
course  that  the  Kingdom  should  tarry,  and  plan 
calmly  on  centuries  of  inch-worm  progress.  When  a 
bold  young  spirit  like  John  R.  Mott  arose  a  genera- 
tion ago  and  with  fiery  logic  actually  proved  to  the 
Church  that  the  world  could  be  evangelized  in  one 
generation,  the  Church  smiled  indulgently  at  the 
impetuosity  of  youth,  and  refused  even  to  take  the 
idea  seriously.  Yet  we  have  seen  that  Jesus  did. 
With  terrible  earnestness  he  sent  forth  his  disciples 
to  hasten  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  with  Good  News 
that  brooked  no  delay. 

Hastening  his  There  is  an  expression  in  the  second 
coming.  epistle  of  Peter  that  is  very  beautiful 

— "Looking  for  and  hasting  the  coming  of  the  Day 
of  God," — or  in  Moffatt's  translation,  *'You  who  ex- 
pect and  hasten  the  advent  of  the  Day  of  God." 
Expecting  the  Day  and  hastening  it!  What  a  glory 
that  gives  to  missionary  work! 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  71 

The  world  can  The  war  has  given  a  worldwide  il- 
be  evangelized  lustration  of  how,  under  the  pressure 
"ow.  of  unprecedented    need,    social   pro- 

cesses and  changes  that  ordinarily  require  centuries 
to  effect  have  been  accomplished  literally  in  a  day. 
In  the  great  Commonwealth  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
there  are  greater  possibilities  waiting  only  the  putting 
forth  of  a  supreme  act  of  faith  on  the  part  of  God's 
people.  The  world  can  be  evangelized  in  this  genera- 
tion. 

From  teachings  We  turn  now  from  considering  the 
to  life.  missionary  message  contained  in  the 

fundamental  teachings  of  Jesus  to  (i)  his  mission- 
ary activities,  and  (2)  his  explicit  commands  con- 
tained in  the  Gospels. 

"God  had  one  (i)  Jesus  was  himself  a  missionary — 
Son,  and  he  was  one  Sent  with  a  message.  In  the 
a  missionary."  delivery  of  his  message  he  began  by 
calling  a  group  of  disciples  whom  he  took  with  him 
in  his  journeys  as  he  proclaimed  the  Good  News  of 
the  Kingdom.  He  evidently  gained  disciples,  as  we 
learn  from  the  account  of  their  baptism  (John  iii, 
22;  iv,  1-3).  On  his  way  from  Jordan  to  Galilee  he 
and  his  disciples  stopped  for  a  two  days*  mission  in 
Samaria,  during  which  the  Samaritan  woman  and 
many  of  her  fellow-citizens  came  to  believe  the 
gospel.  In  confessing  their  faith  these  men  of  Sychar 
use  for  the  first  time  in  history  the  great  phrase  that 
is  in  itself  a  missionary  charter: 

"We  no  longer  believe  in  him  simply  because  of  your  state- 
ments, for  we  have  now  heard  for  ourselves  and  we  know  that 
this  Man  really  is  the  Saviour  of  the  World'' 


72  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Jesus*  talk  with  This  brief  missionary  journey  is  not- 
the  Samaritan  able  also  because  it  is  the  first  pro- 
woman,  clamation  of  the  Good  News  of  the 
Kingdom  beyond  the  limits  of  Jewry,  and  because  of 
a  saying  of  our  Lord,  recorded  by  John,  when  his 
disciples  returned  to  find  him  sitting  by  the  well 
curb,  wrapt  in  the  contemplation  of  his  Father's 
glorious  will  for  the  world.  In  his  conversation  with 
the  woman  he  had  been  led  from  depth  to  depth,  to 
the  announcement  of  his  Messiahship,  with  its  gift 
of  the  Water  of  Life;  to  the  disclosure  of  the  spirit- 
uality of  the  true  worship  of  God, — ''neither  in  this 
mountain  nor  yet  in  Jerusalem,  but  in  spirit  and  in 
truth";  and  to  the  deepest  truth  of  all,  the  seeking 
Father  God.  Now,  wathdrav/n  into  the  sacred  re- 
cesses of  his  soul,  he  sits  alone,  meditating, — may  we 
not  reverently  imagine.^ — on  the  path  along  which 
the  Father's  will  is  to  send  his  mighty  gospel 
throughout  the  world. 

"Look  up  and  see  The  disciples  break  in  upon  his  soli- 
the  fields."  tude,  anxious,  hurried, 

"Master,  eat  something." 

"I  have  food  to  eat,"  said  Jesus,  "of  which  you  do  not  know." 

"Can  it  be,"  said  the  literal-minded  disciples,  "that  any  one 
has  brought  him  something  to  eat?" 

"My  food,"  said  Jesus,  "is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me, 
and  to  accomplish  his  work." 

Then,  as  if  the  nature  of  the  work  which  the  Father 
had  sent  him  to  accoir  :pt  over  him,  he  turned 

and,  with  a  gesture  tuNvaJu  the  sun-drenched  plain 
across  which  the  bright-turbaned  throng  was  al- 
ready hurrying  out  to  him,  he  continued: 

"Do  you  say  'It  wants  four  months  and  then  comes  the  har- 


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Message  of  the  New  Testament  73 

vest?'  I  tell  you,  look  around,  behold  these  plains — they  are  al- 
ready white  for  harvest!" 

Sower  and  reaper  Then  follow  the  pregnant  sentences 
together.  in    which    our    Lord    explains    that 

spiritual  seed-sowing  and  harvesting  proceed  togeth- 
er, one  man  sowing,  another  reaping,  and  the 
sower  sharing  the  reaper's  joy.  "I  sent  you  to  reap 
a  harvest  which  is  not  the  result  of  your  own  labors. 
Others  have  toiled  and  you  reap  the  fruit  of  their 
toil." 

Our  waiting  har-  To  his  Church  of  the  present  Christ 
vest  fields.  still  Speaks  these  words.  We,  too,  are 

apt  to  think  of  a  remote  harvest  and  to  neglect  the 
fields  that  lie  all  white  to  harvest  under  our  very 
eyes.  We,  too,  forget  that  in  our  work  of  spreading 
the  gospel  we  are  reaping  harvests  whose  seed  was 
sown  by  men  long  since  dead,  many  of  them  obscure, 
or  unknown  to  us. 

Jesus  chooses  With  the  Opening  of  the  Galilean 
twelve  mission-  ministry  Jesus  made  a  missionary 
^"es,  circuit   of  all    the   towns   of  Galilee 

(Matt,  iv,  23;  Matt,  x,  I-4).  Later  he  chose 
twelve  apostles,  set  them  apart  for  missionary  work, 
and  gave  himself  to  their  training  and  preparation. 
It  is  due  to  an  apparent  accident  of  translation  that 
these  men  are  known  to  us  as  apostles  rather  than 
as  missionaries.  It  means  the  same  to  say  **He  chose 
twelve  missionaries"  as  to  say  *'He  chose  twelve 
apostles."  In  one  case  the  word  is  derived  from  the 
Greek,  in  the  other  from  the  Latin;  both  alike  mean 
*one  sent,'  'a  messenger.' 

The  Twelve  trained  On  his  second  missionary  tour  Jesus 
and  sent  out.         takes  the  members  of  his  Missionary 


74  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Training  School  with  him  (Luke  viii,  1-3),  and  with 
them  also  go  the  members  of  the  first  Woman's 
Missionary  Society.  A  third  itinerary  he  makes,  the 
twelve  being  with  him  (Mark  vi,  6;  Matt,  ix,  35), 
and  then,  their  training  being  sufficiently  advanced, 
he  sends  them  out  by  themselves,  two  by  two,  on 
their  first  home  mission  enterprise. 
The  first  'League  Matthew  tells  US  the  touching  reason 
of  Pity.'  for    the    organization    of    this    first 

League  of  Pity.  When  Jesus  saw  the  crowds  he  was 
touched  with  compassion  because  they  were  dis- 
tressed and  were  fainting  on  the  ground  like  sheep 
without  a  shepherd.  He  said  to  his  disciples: 

"The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are  few, 
therefore  entreat  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  labourers 
into  his  harvest." 

Enlarging  circles  With  this  prayer  in  his  own  heart 
of  ministry.  he  sent  them   forth  with   marvelous 

instructions  for  their  journey.  Not  yet  did  he  send 
them  to  the  Gentiles,  their  sympathies  were  too  nar- 
row, their  prejudices  too  great.  To  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  House  of  Israel  were  they  sent,  while  he  himself 
continued  his  own  tireless  proclamation  of  the  mes- 
sage, his  own  loving  search  for  the  lost  sheep.  (Matt. 
xi,  I.)  Later,  during  the  Perean  ministry,  the  Lord 
sent  out  seventy  disciples  into  every  city  and  place 
where  he  himself  intended  to  come,  and  this  time 
he  placed  no  prohibition  on  their  going  to  the 
Samaritans  and  the  Gentiles.  (Luke  x,  1-24.) 
Establishing  a  In  Jesus'  own  ministry  he  confined 
base  line  for  the  himself  except  in  the  case  of  a  few 
s°sp^^'  individuals    to   his   own    nation.  He 

was  sent  to  establish  a  base  from  which  his  gospel 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  75 

could  go  out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  While  embrac- 
ing in  his  love  and  purpose  the  world,  he  wisely- 
spent  himself  on  preparing  a  group  whom  he  could 
so  charge  with  his  own  spirit  that  through  them  the 
work  for  the  whole  might  be  done. 
Mission  strategy.  This  missionary  Strategy  has  its  les- 
son  for  today.  It  is  easier  and  more 
thrilling  to  scatter  the  Gospel  message  broadcast  over 
a  province  or  a  country;  but  the  birds  of  the  air  very 
soon  pick  up  such  chance  sowings.  To  a  prepared 
people  and  then  to  a  selected  group  within  that 
people  Jesus  gave  himself  day  and  night,  that  from 
this  garden  of  his  planting  he  might  sow  the  earth. 
(2)  The  mission-  The  direct  missionary  injunctions  of 
ary  commands  of  Christ  are  in  line  with  his  teachings 
J^^^^-  and  his  life.  We  quote   more   often 

and  think  more  often  of  one  which  we  call  The  Great 
Commission.  When  critics  have  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  the  passage  in  which  it  occurs  (Mark 
xvi,  15-20)  is  wanting  in  some  of  the  ancient  manu- 
scripts, some  have  felt  greatly  disturbed.  Whether 
the  words  belong  to  the  apparently  unfinished  Gospel 
of  Mark  or  have  come  down  to  us  from  some  other 
source  does  not  greatly  matter,  since  like  the  exqui- 
site little  story  of  John  viii,  i-ii,  they  bear  all 
the  marks  of  authenticity.  It  is  hard  to  counterfeit 
the  sayings  of  Jesus.  They  all  bear  his  image  and 
superscription. 

Missionary  mes-  Even  were  the  Great  Commission, 
sage  not  dependent  **Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
on  'commissions.'  ^.j^^  gospel  to  every  creature"  absolute- 
ly blotted  out,  the  missionary  message  of  the  New 
Testament  would  remain  unshaken,  for  there  are 


76  The  Bible  and  Missions 

other  unquestioned  commands  of  Jesus  to  the  same 
effect.  But  even  were  all  these  lacking,  the  obliga- 
tion to  spread  the  gospel  would  lie  with  inescapa- 
ble weight  upon  the  Christian  conscience.  It  does  not 
depend  upon  enactment;  it  inheres  in  the  nature  of 
the  gospel.  We  cannot  imagine  that  those  early 
Christians,  scattered  abroad  during  the  first  perse- 
cution, went  everywhere  spreading  the  Good  News  of 
God's  Message  because  they  remembered  Mark 
xvi,  19  or  Matt,  xxviii,  19.  They  told  because 
their  hearts  were  glowing  in  the  consciousness  of  a 
great  salvation  and  they  could  not  but  speak  of  what 
they  had  themselves  seen  and  heard  and  felt. 
Repetitions  of  The  vaHous  forms  of  Christ's  com- 
Christ's  great  mand"  to  disciplc  all  nations  are  found 
command.  ^^    j^/[^tt^    xxviii,   i8-2o;    Mark   xvi, 

9-20;  Luke  xxiv,  45-53;  John  xx,  19-21;  Acts  i, 
1-8.  Each  one  is  precious,  each  one  adding  a  touch  to 
the  whole. 

The  command  in  We  find  from  Luke*s  introduction 
the  Acts.  to  the  Acts  that  it  is  his  purpose  to 

complete  his  former  writing  of  v/hat  Jesus  began  to 
do  and  to  teach  by  an  account  of  his  continued  ac- 
tion through  the  Acts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Luke  tells 
us  there  that  the  topic  of  Jesus'  lessons  during  the 
forty  days  intervening  between  his  resurrection 
and  ascension  was  The  Kingdom  of  God.  The  im- 
agination loves  to  dwell  on  the  wonderful  way  in  which 
the  victorious  Christ  opened  up  to  the  wondering 
minds  of  his  apostles  God's  great  Plan  of  the  Ages  by 
which  through  the  life  and  death  and  rising  again  of 
his  own  Son,  he  was  to  make  possible  the  salvation 
of  the  world. 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  77 

Witnesses  to  the  Even  after  these  marvelous  days  of 
ends  of  the  earth,  teaching,  the  disciples  still  harked 
back  wistfully  to  their  early  conception  of  a  Mes- 
sianic Kingdom  set  up  by  force. 

"Master,  is  this  the  time  at  which  you  are  about  to  restore 
the  Kingdom  for  Israel?"  they  asked. 

"It  is  not  for  you,"  he  told  them,  "to  know  times  or  epochs 
which  the  Father  has  reserved  within  his  own  authority;  and 
yet  you  will  receive  power  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has  come  upon 
you,  and  you  will  be  my  witnesses  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea 
and  Samaria  and  to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth." 

"The  faith  of  the  Paul  uses  a  great  phrase,  "The  faith 
Lord  Jesus.'*  of  the  Lord  Jesus/'  Never  was  it  more 

greatly  manifested  than  when,  his  earthly  pilgrimage 
accomplished,.  Jesus  gave  his  last  charge  to  his  dis- 
ciples. He  had  no  organized  church,  no  buildings, 
no  synods,  no  bishops;  there  was  no  treasury,  no 
written  gospel.  On  his  naked  faith  in  his  Father  and 
with  confidence  in  those  to  whose  memory  he  had 
entrusted  his  own  teachings,  Jesus  sends  them  forth, 
his  commissioned  witnesses,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
The  four  zones  of  The  four  zones  are  significant.  There 
missions.  is    Jerusalem — the    place    where    we 

live;  Judea — our  native  land;  Samaria — our  neigh- 
bor state,  and  those  "Uttermost  Parts  of  the  World." 
Some  one  has  named  them  parish  missions,  state 
missions,  home  missions,  and  foreign  missions.  All 
are  there,  present  in  the  Master's  thought,  provided 
for  in  his  plan. 

On  a  hill  in  Matthew  records   for  us    the  words 

Galilee,  to  Jesus  spoke  on  the  hill  to  the  Eleven 

the  Eleven.  whom    he   had    summoned    to    meet 

him  there.  Though  the  record  is  very  plain  that  the 


yS  The  Bible  and  Missions 

appearing  and  the  command  were  to  the  Eleven, 
most  of  us  in  our  mental  picture  visualize  the  five 
hundred  who,  as  Paul  tells  us,  saw  him  at  one  time. 
If  we  picture  on  that  hill  in  Galilee  only  the  little 
company  of  men  who  had  loved  and  known  him  best, 
and  see  the  mysterious  figure  of  the  risen  Jesus  appear 
before  them  as  they  prostrate  themselves  in  wor- 
ship, it  adds  a  wondrous  touch  of  homely  honesty 
when  Matthew  adds  "but  some  doubted."  No 
romancer  could  have  thought  of  that  touch.  No  one 
not  an  eye-witness  could  have  added  it.  It  is  Mat- 
thew who  remembers  the  shuddering  joy  with  which 
they  saw  him,  and  then  the  questioning  eyes  which 
he  and  Thomas  turned  on  the  others  when  the  radiant 
figure  was  no  longer  visible,  saying,  "Did  we  indeed 
see  him.''  Did  we  not  dream  it?" 
The  Great  No,  the  Eleven  remembered  to  their 

Commission.  dying  day  the  majestic  words  he  spoke 

as  he  came  near  them: 

"All  power  has  been  given  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go, 
therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations;  baptize  them 
into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy- 
Spirit;  and  teach  them  to  obey  every  command  which  I  have 
given  you.  And  remember,  I  am  with  you  always,  day  by  day, 
until  the  close  of  the  Age." 

Matt,  xxviii,  18-20  {Weymouth) 

The  command  is  This  is  the  fullest  report  of  any  of  the 
backed  by  power,  commands  of  Jesus  given  during  the 
solemn  ministry  of  the  forty  days.  Note  that  the 
command  is  based  upon  power,  "all  power  in  heaven 
and  on  earth."  '*Go,  therefore,  because  I  have  au- 
thority and  power  to  send  you."  We  need  to  recover 
more  of  the  soldierly  quality  of  obedience  in  our 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  79 

missionary  service.  These  are  our  marching  orders, 
given  by  the  Supreme  Commander  to  his  generals 
with  the  full  sanction  of  his  authority  behind  them. 
"What  are  your  "What  are  your  marching  orders?" 
marching  orders?"  questioned  the  old  Iron  Duke  when 
some  one  asked  him  whether  he  believed  in  foreign 
missions.  We  are  not  asked  whether  we  wish  to  go, 
whether  it  will  do  good  to  go,  whether  it  is  practica- 
ble to  go.  The  King  has  summoned  us.  It  is  enough. 
Promise  is  added  To  the  command  with  its  backing  of 
to  command.  authority    Jesus     adds   his    gracious 

promise,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days."  We  often 
divorce  the  promise  from  the  command,  but  there 
is  a  question  about  our  warrant  for  it.  It  is  to  those 
who,  trusting  in  his  supreme  authority,  go  forth  in 
obedience  to  his  command,  that  our  Lord  says,  "Lo! 
I  am  with  you  alway." 

David  Living-  While  battling  against  obstacles  as 
stone's  Journal,  tangled  and  impenetrable  as  Africa's 
own  jungle  thicket,  David  Livingstone  wrote  in  his 
journal: 

*'Felt  much  turmoil  in  view  of  having  all  my  plans  for  the 
welfare  of  this  great  region  knocked  on  the  head  by  savages  to- 
morrow. But  Jesus  came  and  said,  'All  power  is  given  to  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  and 
lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world!'  It 
is  the  word  of  a  Gentleman  of  the  most  sacred  and  strictest 
honour,  and  there  is  an  end  on*t.  I  will  not  cross  furtively  by 
night  as  I  intended.  It  would  appear  as  flight,  and  why  should 
such  a  man  as  I  flee?  Nay,  verily,  I  shall  take  observations  for 
longitude  and  latitude  tonight,  though  they  may  be  the  last. 
I  feel  quite  calm  now,  thank  God." 

Not  orders  alone,  Our  Lord's  last  words  to  the  Eleven 
but  a  program.      give  not  only  marching  orders,  but 


8o  The  Bible  and  Missions 

a  program.  In  the  brief  compass  of  thirty-five  words 
we  learn  to  whom  the  disciples  are  to  go — all  nations; 
what  they  are  to  do^make  disciples;  what  ordinance 
they  are  to  perpetuate — baptizing  them;  what  meth- 
od they  are  to  use — **  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  We 
have  here  the  universality  of  the  missionary  mes- 
sage; its  purpose  of  discipling  the  nations;  its  church- 
ly  organization^  and  its  educational  and  disciplinary 
content. 

A  preaching,  teach- Those  who  would  reduce  missions 
ing  church.  to    purely    evangelical    proclamation 

of  the  Good  News  (Mark  xvi,  15)  find  here  an  equal- 
ly binding  command  to  teach.  Those  who  would 
make  missions  only  social  settlements  and  agencies 
for  the  diffusion  of  the  blessings  and  benefits  of 
modern  civilization  find  here  firmly  embedded  the 
perpetuation  of  one  of  the  two  ordinances  left  by  our 
Lord  to  his  Church,  and  by  a  fair  implication  the  im- 
planting of  the  Church  itself.  Rightly  has  this  pas- 
sage been  called  *'The  Missionary's  Great  Charter." 
Luke's  Gospel  Luke's  Other  account,  given  in  the 
records  the  first  Gospel  (Luke  xxiv,  45-49)  refers 
worldwide  com-  to  a  different  occasion  from  that 
mission.  recounted  in  the  first  chapter  of  Acts, 

as  is  evident  from  the  ninth  verse,  in  which  we  are 
told  that,  when  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words  and 
while  they  were  looking  at  him,  he  was  carried  up 
and  a  cloud  hid  him  from  their  sight.  In  the  tw^enty- 
fourth  chapter  of  Luke's  Gospel,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  evangelist  is  recording  the  first  appearance  of 
Jesus  to  the  disciples,  on  that  Sunday  evening  when 
the  doors  of  the  house  were  locked  for  fear  of  the 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  8i 

Jews.  The  two  from  Emmaus  had  just  come,  breath- 
less with  their  great  news,  and  found  that  the  story 
of  the  Master's  appearance  to  Simon  had  already 
preceded  them.  And,  while  all  were  talking  and 
doubting  and  wondering,  Jesus  himself  stood  among 
them  and  showed  them  the  nail  prints  in  his  hands 
and  feet. 

Then  he  opened  their  minds  to  understand  the  Scriptures, 
and  he  said,  "Thus  it  is  written  that  the  Christ  would  suffer  and 
on  the  third  day  rise  again  from  the  dead;  and  that  proclamation 
would  be  made  in  his  name  of  repentance  and  forgiveness  of 
sins  to  all  the  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  You  are  witnesses 
as  to  these  things." 

Repentance  and  Here  again  the  missionary  accolade 
forgiveness  to  be  IS  laid  on  the  shoulders  of  true 
proclaimed  to  all  Christian  Knights.  The  gospel  is 
nations,  rooted  in  God's  plan  of  grace  for  the 

whole  earth.  In  the  name  of  the  risen  Christ  re- 
pentance and  forgiveness  are  to  be  preached  through- 
out the  earth  and  the  disciples  are  to  be  witnesses  of 
the  truth. 

The  innermost  In  John's  Gospel  there  is  preserved 
heart  of  the  Great  another  word  of  Jesus,  spoken  on 
Commission.  ^-j^jg  very  night,  which  contains  the 

innermost  heart  of  the .  missionary  commission. 
*'Jesus  then  repeated.  Peace  be  with  you.  As  my 
Father  sent  me  forth,  I  am  sending  you  forth," 
John  XX,  21  (Moffatt).  The  Great  Commission  is 
here  given  in  its  highest  form.  Not  simply  are  the 
disciples  to  go  forth  with  good  news  to  all  nations; 
they  are  given  the  same  commission  which  Jesus 
himself  received  from  the  Father.  Whatever  he 
came  to  do  they  are  to  do;  whatever  his  message  was 


82  The  Bible  and  Missions 

is  their  message;  the  width  and  height  and  length 
and  breadth  of  his  mission  form  the  only  boundaries 
to  their  mission.  'As  my  Father  sent  me  forth' — 
to  the  lame,  the  blind,  the  deaf,  the  poor,  the  pris- 
oner, the  stranger,  the  leper  without  the  gate, — to 
them  I  send  you  forth.  As  my  Father  sent  me  forth 
*a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles  and  the  glory  of  my 
people  Israel,'  so  I  am  sending  you  forth.  'As  my 
Father  sent  me  forth  not  to  be  served  but  to  serve,' 
so  I  send  you  forth.  *As  my  Father  sent  me  forth, 
not  that  the  world  might  be  condemned,  but  that 
the  world  might  be  saved  through  me,'  so  I  send  you 
forth.  'As  my  Father  sent  me  forth  to  endure  the 
Cross,'  so  I  am  sending  you  forth,  not  to  cling  to  my 
Cross,  but  to  carry  it.  'As  my  Father  sent  me  forth 
to  overcome  the  world,'  so  I  send  you  forth.  Never 
were  words  more  glorious  spoken  to  human  hearts 
than  these.  O,  the  breadth  and  the  length  and  the 
depth  and  the  height  of  Christ's  meaning  in  his  last 
and  great  Commission! 

Summary  of  mis-  In  summing  up  the  missionary  mes- 
sionary  message  sage  of  the  Gospels  we  have  found 
of  the  Gospels.  that  it  penetrates  their  entire  struc- 
ture; is  a  necessary  outcome  of  the  two  fundamental 
teachings  of  Jesus  regarding  the  Father  and  the 
Kingdom;  is  contained  in  his  parables  and  illustrated 
in  his  daily  deeds;  is  explicitly  stated  by  direct  com- 
mand given  under  circumstances  of  the  utmost  sol- 
emnity, and  that  these  final  instructions  were  re- 
peated at  least  four  times:  Luke  xxiv,  33-4? >  John 
XX,  21;  Matt,  xxviii,  16-20;  Mark  xvi,  15-20;  Acts  i, 
1-9. 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  83 

Missionary  mes-  When  we  turn  from  the  Gospels  to 
sage  of  New  Testa- the  rest  of  the  New  Testament  we 
ment  outside  the  find  that  it  consists  of  little  else  than 
Gospels.  |.|^g  account  of  missionary  journeys, 

letters  from  missionaries  to  their  converts,  and  a 
prophecy  of  the  complete  triumph  of  the  gospel. 

TheActs:  the  great  The  Acts,  written  by  Luke  as  an  epi- 
mission-study  logue  to  his  gospel  to  show  what  Jesus 
text-book.  ^continued  to  do  and  to  teach  through 

the  Holy  Spirit,'  is  the  greatest  text-book  on  mis- 
sions in  existence.  Here  we  see  the  widening  circles 
by  which  Christianity  spread  out  from  Jerusalem  to 
Rome,  the  enlarging  conceptions  wrought  in  the 
minds  of  Christian  believers  regarding  the  scope  of 
the  gospel,  the  strategy  of  occupation  devised  by 
master  missionaries,  and  the  eternal  conflict  with  evil 
which  the  gospel  meets  in  establishing  its  worldwide 
sway.  Here  we  find  the  substance  of  the  missionary 
message  that  has  power  to  win  the  world, — Jesus 
Christ,  Crucified  and  Risen  from  the  Dead. 

The  expansive  Here  we  find  that  Christianity,  when 
power  of  a  new  barely  established  in  Jerusalem  and 
affection.  Antioch,   did   not  wait   to   complete 

the  task  of  local  evangelization,  but  pressed  out  into 
new  fields  by  the  irresistible  power  of  its  expanding 
life.  Where  is  there  a  nobler  corrective  of  the  point 
of  view  of  those  who  say,  ''There  is  plenty  to  be  done 
at  home,"  than  in  the  example  of  that  heroic  pioneer 
church  in  Antioch  which  sent  forth  its  two  strongest 
leaders,  Paul  and  Barnabas,  on  the  summons  of  the 
Holy  Spirit? 


84  The  Bible  and  Missions 

"There  is  that  If  counsels  of  sclf-interest  and  pru- 
scattereth  and  yet  dence  had  prevailed,  Christianity 
increaseth."  would  Still  be  a  Struggling  Jewish  sect 

in  the  lands  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediterranean. 
But  the  missionary  passion  had  free  course  and  was 
glorified.  Antioch,  in  giving  her  best  to  carry  the 
gospel  to  distant  lands,  found  her  own  spiritual 
strength  renewed.  It  is  due  to  no  chance  that  the 
disciples  were  first  called  Christians  at  Antioch. 
Missionary  strate-  In  the  Book  of  the  Acts  are  lessons 
gy  of  the  Acts.  of  missionary  strategy  of  permanent 
value.  These  hurrying  missionaries  of  the  Cross  do 
not  seek  solitudes,  but  the  crowded  centres  of  life. 
In  the  chief  cities  of  Greek  and  Roman  culture  and 
commerce  they  plant  the  first  churches,  and  from 
these  as  centres  the  gospel  seed  is  carried  to  the 
boundaries  of  the  empire  within  a  hundred  years. 
A  summons  to  ,  In  the  Acts  the  summons  is  to  the 
Christian  heroism,  heroism  of  the  crusader.  The  gospel 
is  seen  as  no  beautiful,  ethical  statement  to  be  ad- 
mired and  written  about.  It  is  a  desperate  cause  to 
be  fought  for  and  died  for.  Christ's  message  is  pre- 
sented not  as  something  which  wins  easy  acceptance, 
but  as  a  challenge  standing  squarely  athwart  human 
selfishness  and  greed  and  sin,  and  so  meeting  deep 
hostility  and  opposition.  The  instinctive  recogni- 
tion, on  the  part  of  evil  forces,  of  the  gospel  as  a 
deadly  foe  is  disclosed  again  and  again  in  this  mis- 
sion text-book. 

Only  a  compro-  When  Opposition  fails  to  materialize 
mising  church  in  the  life  of  the  present  day  it  is  be- 
finds  smooth  causc  the  Cliurch  is  not  aggressive 

saihng.  jj^    asserting    Christ's    lordship    over 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  85 

life,    as   was  this    Early    Church.  A    compromising 

church  finds  smooth  sailing.  A  missionary  church 
can  always  count  on  her  full  share  of  head  winds  and 
tempests. 

Paul's  statement  In  Paul^s  letters  we  find  a  treasury 

of  the  universal  of    tremendous    statements    of    the 

gospel.  Universal  Gospel.  To  instance  but  a 
few  of  them : 

Rom.  i,  16;  Rom.  ii,  10,  11;  Rom.  iii,  21-24;  Rom.  iii,  29; 
Rom,  V,  15-19;  Rom.  x,  11-13;  I  Cor.  i,  21-24;  H*  Cor.  v,  18-19; 
Eph.  ii,  11-18;  I  Tim.  ii,  3-7. 

Emergence  of  mis- There  is  evident  also  the  emergence 
sionary  finance,  of  the  problems  of  missionary  finance 
as  the  expanding  work  requires  increased  funds. 
Immediately  following  PauFs  great  declaration  of 
the  universality  of  God's  grace,  "Every  one  without 
exception  who  calls  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved,"  he  finds  it  necessary  to  append  a  practical 
inquiry:  Rom.  x,  14-15. 

Giving  money  These  words  and  those  others  of 
part  of  preaching  Paul  in  regard  to  the  missionary 
the  gospel.  contributions  which  he  was  gathering 

among  his  Gentile  converts  to  take  to  the  poor  saints 
in  Jerusalem  have  been  read  in  innumerable  mission- 
ary meetings,  and  have  stirred  many  sluggish  con- 
sciences in  our  days  to  realize  that  giving  money  is  a 
part  of  preaching  the  gospel.  (See  Romans  xv,  26; 
I  Cor.  xvi,    1-21;    II  Cor.   viii,    1-15;  Acts  xi,    29.) 

A  beautiful  sidelight  on   the  fellow- 
Lay  ministry  in  t  •  r        •    •    .  i  •    i  •  i    j    • 

the  Early  Church.  ^^^P  ^^  ^imistry  which  prevailed  ir. 

the   Early   Church   is   found   in    the 

personal  greetings  with  which  Paul  closes  his  letters. 

Here  is  reflected  no  hierarchy  propagating  the  faith 


86  The  Bible  and  Missions 

through  solemnly  official  channels,  but  groups  of 
men  and  women  bound  by  one  fraternal  purpose. 
Phoebe  is  seen  hurrying  as  a  messenger  from  Cen- 
chrea  to  Rome  with  the  great  epistle  to  the  Romans 
safely  hidden  under  her  robe.  She  would  seem  to 
have  been  a  woman  of  wealth  and  prominence. 
Paul  tells  us  that  **she  has  been  a  kind  friend  to  many 
including  myself."  Then  there  are  Priscilla  and 
Aquila  who  have  a  church  in  their  house,  travel  about 
on  the  business  of  the  Kingdom,  and  endanger  their 
lives  to  help  Paul.  It  is  interesting  that  only  once 
does  Paul  mention  Aquila's  name  first;  in  all  other 
allusions  it  would  seem  as  if  the  wife  were  the  real 
leader.  In  fact,  the  prominence  of  women  workers 
in  these  early  lists  is  little  less  than  amazing,  when 
the  social  customs  of  the  times  are  considered. 
Women  workers  There  is  'Mary  who  labored  stren- 
prominent.  uously  among  you,'  *Junia,  my  fellow 

citizen,  who  once  shared  my  imprisonment';  'Try- 
phsena  and  Tryphosa,  those  Christian  workers'; 
'dear  Persis  who  has  labored  strenuously  in  the  Lord's 
work;  and  'Rufus's  mother  who  has  also  been  a 
mother   to  me.' 

Fraternal  and  mis-  In  nothing  is  the  fraternal  and  mis- 
sionary spirit  of  sionary  spirit  of  these  early  Chris- 
the  Early  Church,  tians  more  clcarly  shown  than  in 
these  passing  allusions  in  the  epistles.  We  see  them 
packing  missionary  boxes,  sending  a  messenger  seven 
hundred  miles  to  take  food  and  clothing  to  the  mis- 
sionary in  prison  at  Rome,  risking  life  itself  in  minis- 
try to  *the  brethren.'  We  love  the  abundant  hospi- 
tality of  Lydia  and  of  *that  household  of  Stephanus,' 
*the  first  converts  in  Achaia,'  who  'laid  themselves 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  87 

out  to  serve  the  saints.'  We  see  the  strength  of  their 
brotherhood  in  that  travehng  band  of  beHevers, — 
Sopater  of  Beroea  (the  son  of  Pyrrhus),  Aristarchus 
and  Secundus  from  Thessalonica,  Gaius  of  Derbe, 
TimotheuSj  and  Tychicus  and  Trophimus  of  Asia, 
who  accompanied  Paul  in  his  return  through  Mace- 
donia and  then  went  on  to  wait  five  days  for  him  at 
Troas.  We  see  it  again  in  the  elders  of  the  church  of 
Ephesus,  who  came  down  to  Miletus  to  see  Paul  and 
broke  into  loud  lamentations  as  they  kissed  him 
farewell,  sorrowing  because  they  should  see  his  face 
no  more.  Paul  'tore  himself  away  from  them'  only  to 
meet  another  group  of  believers  when  the  ship  touch- 
ed at  Tyre,  who  escorted  him  outside  the  town, 
Vomen  and  children  and  all,'  and  kneeled  on  the 
beach  while  Paul  prayed  with  them  and  said  good- 
bye. In  Caesarea  he  was  entertained  by  Philip  the 
evangelist,  who  had  four  unmarried  daughters  who 
prophesied.  When,  *after  a  somewhat  lengthy  stay,' 
Paul  loaded  his  baggage-cattle  and  continued  his 
journey  to  Jerusalem,  disciples  from  Caesarea  ac- 
companied him  on  his  journey  and  took  him  to 
lodge  in  the  house  of  one  of  the  early  disciples, 
Mnason,  a  native  of  Cyprus.* 

We  are  told  that  the  brethren  in  Jerusalem  gave 
Paul  a  hearty  welcome.  When  he  landed  in  Italy  on 
his  way  to  Rome  the  disciples  in  Puteoli  invited 
Paul  to  stay  with  them  for  a  week,  and  those  living 
in  Rome  walked  out  to  meet  him  as  far  as  the  Ap- 
pian  Forum  and  the  Three  Taverns. 
Similar  scenes  All  these  and  Other  homely  incidents 
enacted  today.       picture  to  US  the  missionary  churches 

*Acts  xxi — ^Weymouth. 


88  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  the  first  century.  Similar  pictures  are  to  be  seen  on 
many  a  frontier  where  little  bands  of  Christians  are 
cheering  one  another's  faith,  as  they  hold  the  'thin 
red  line'  of  occupation  for  their  Master,  Christ. 
Value  of  mission-  The  Study  of  this  Missionary  Church 
ary  study  of  the  of  the  ApostoHc  Age  is  sorely  needed 
^^^^'  in  the  present  age.  The  greatest  dan- 

ger of  the  missionary  enterprise  is  that  it  may  be 
officialized,  externalized,  becoming .  the  cult  of  a 
group  rather  than  the  expression  of  the  church's 
life.  No  missionary  study  can  so  powerfully  counter- 
act this  danger  as  the  study  of  New  Testament 
Christianity  both  as  interpreted  by  Christ  himself, 
and  in  the  life  of  the  Apostolic  Church. 

(i)  y^n  uplifted  Christ,  Note  the  features  of 
their  missionary  program.  It  was  Christ  who  was  the 
substance  of  their  preaching,  Christ  who  was  their 
hope  of  glory,  Christ  whose  was  the  power  in  which 
they  dared  face  the  might  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
No  missionary  should  be  sent  forth  who  goes  to  take 
\  a  question,  none  v/ho  has  not  in  his  soul  a  personal 
-  experience  of  Christ's  grace  and  redemption,  "the 
inexpugnable  reality  of  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul 
of  man." 

(2)  An  audacity  oj  faith.  These  men  actually  ex- 
pected to  convert  the  world.  They  were  eager  to 
penetrate  unknown  regions.  Their  horizon  was  ever 
expanding,  their  courage  never  daunted. 

(3)  A  participation  in  the  task.  The  Early  Church 
did  not  alone  support  missionaries;  it  was  missionary. 
It  did  not  take  pride  in  the  heroic  faith  of  the  mis- 
sionaries but  feel  that  its  own  part  was  fulfilled  if  it 
paid   the   bills   and   listened   with   languid  interest 


HON.  WANG  K'AI  WEN 

Grand  Pilaster  of  Ceremonies,  Presidential  ^Mansion, 

Peking,  China. 

(By  perinission  of  World  Outlook) 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  89 

to  the  stories  the  missionaries  told  of  their  successes. 
These  little  churches  were  themselves  missionary  bee- 
hives. Everybody  felt  called  to  tell  the  Good  News. 

(4)  A  reliance  upon  spiritual  means.  Prayer  per- 
vaded the  life  of  this  Early  Church  like  fragrance. 
They  really  expected  prayer  to  be  answered,  and  they 
dared  to  pray  for  hard  and  difficult  things.  They 
walked  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  honor- 
ed their  faith  by  working  mightily  through  and  with 
them.  Foreign  missions  contemplate  tasks  impossi- 
ble of  realization  if  we  are  depending  upon  human 
resources  alone. 

(5)  A  willingness  to  suffer  and^  if  need  be^  to  die. 
One  cannot  read  the  catalogue  of  Paul's  privations 
and  sufferings  (II  Cor.  vi.  4-10;  xi,  23-30)  without  a 
fresh  realization  that  Christ's  Kingdom  can  only 
be  established  at  the  cost  of  lives  laid  down.  The 
enterprise  on  which  we  are  embarked  cost  Christ 
his  Cross.  We  cannot  win  the  world  unless  we  are 
willing  to  pour  out  life  and  treasure. 

{6)  A  buoyant  hopefulness.  Nothing  can  quench 
the  joy  of  this  Early  Church;  tribulation,  or  distress, 
or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sv/ord!  Nay,  in  all  those, 
these  missionary  bands  are  more  than  conquerors, 
for  they  know  that  nothing  can  separate  them  from 
the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  their  Lord.  We,  too, 
need  this  supreme  confidence  of  hope  in  a  conquering, 
because  a  risen  and  present  Saviour. 
Missionary  mes-  The  closing  book  of  the  Ncw  Tcsta- 
sage  of  the  Apoc-  ment,  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  is 
aiypse.  ^  fitting  climax  to  its  missionary  mes- 

sage. In  one  apocalyptic  sunset  it  floods  the  Book 
with   hope.  The   Church   had   fallen   on   evil   days. 


9©  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Persecution  threatened  on  every  side.  Multitudes 
had  been  thrown  into  prison  for  the  Name;  other 
multitudes  had  suffered  exile.  The  brutal  material- 
ism of  the  Caesars  blasted  every  green  shoot  of  faith 
and  goodness  by  its  idolatrous  worship  of  the 
Emperor.  The  beloved  disciple  himself  was  banished 
to  a  lonely  island.  From  this  as  from  a  throne  he 
thundered  a  message  to  the  fainting  Christians;  a 
message  which  they,  familiar  with  the  apocalyptic 
writings  of  the  ancient  Scriptures,  could  easily  inter- 
pret, but  one  that  would  be  meaningless  to  the  spies 
of  Rome.  Think  what  this  message  must  have  meant 
to  persecuted  bands  of  Christians  who  met  at  dead 
of  night  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  Catacombs  to 
hear  it  read.  They  might  be  trembling  under  the 
displeasure  of  the  Emperor  whose  nod  meant  hfe 
or  death.  John  lifted  their  eyes  to  One  who  is  Alpha 
and  Omega,  He  who  is,  and  was,  and  evermore  will 
be,  the  Ruler  of  all.  To  each  of  the  persecuted 
churches  the  glorified  Lord  writes  a  message  with  its 
promise  to  those  who  shall  overcome,  backed  by 
Almighty  power.  Far  above  the  world  of  sin  and 
struggle  John  bade  them  see  the  Great  White 
Throne  and  him  who  sat  thereon.  Above  the  cries 
of  human  anguish  he  bade  them  listen  to  the  chorus 
of  praise  rising  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  from  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  and  thousands  of 
thousands  singing  about  the  throne.  He  made 
them  realize  that  the  day  of  the  oppressor  was 
short,  that  **the  kings  of  the  earth,  the  great  men, 
the  military  chiefs,  the  wealthy  and  the  powerful" 
who  now  were  persecuting  Christ's  followers  should 
hide  themselves  in  caves  of  the  mountains  while  they 


Message  of  the  New  Testament  91 

called  upon  the  mountains  to  fall  upon  them,  and 
hide  them  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb.  See  in  this 
connection  Rev.  vii,  13-17. 

Christ's  trium-  Through  all  the  splendid  symbolism 
phant  Kingdom,  of  the  poem  runs  this  golden  thread — 
Christ  is  living.  He  will  never  forget  his  own.  He  will 
cause  the  right  to  triumph.  Many  of  the  veiled  allu- 
sions which  were  plain  to  those  who  first  read  the 
words  illumined  by  the  flaming  torches  of  their 
present  circumstances  are  obscure  to  us;  but  the 
main  lesson  is  plain,  and  carries  its  missionary  mes- 
sage without  spilling.  In  spite  of  enthroned  evil, 
in  spite  of  apparent  failure  and  defection,  the  King- 
dom of  Christ  will  triumph.  It  is  a  universal  King- 
dom. Men  come  into  it  out  of  every  kingdom  and 
tribe  and  tongue  and  nation.  Great  voices  in  heaven 
are  heard  to  prophesy, 

"The  sovereignty  of  the  world  now  belongs  to  our  Lord  and 
to  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and  ever." 

Social  implications  The  social  implications  of  the  book 
of  the  Apocalypse,  make  the  Revelation  a  great  revolu- 
tionary document,  one  that  would  assuredly  have  met 
destruction  at  the  hands  of  Rome  had  its  full  import 
been  understood.  God  is  the  ruler  of  nations.  His 
will  is  their  supreme  law.  Great  Babylon,  the  mother 
of  harlots  and  of  the  abominations  of  the  earth,  shall 
be  destroyed. 

The  doom  of  The  terrific  doom  song  of  the  eighteenth 
materialistic  chapter,  'Great  Babylon  is  Fallen,* 
civihzation.  could  not  have  been  obscure  to  those 
who  knew  Hebrew  apocalypses  and  prophecies;  but 
they  could  hardly  have  felt  as  we  do  the  social  pas- 


92  The  Bible  and  Missions 

sion  that  sweeps  it  all.  This  judgment  of  Babylon, 
'through  whom  the  merchants  of  the  earth  grew  rich 
because  of  her  excessive  luxury/  this  Babylon  'v/ho 
glorified  herself  and  revelled  in  luxury  with  her 
cargoes  of  gold  and  silver,  of  fine  linen,  purple  and 
silk  and  of  scarlet  stuff*;  this  Babylon  who  'trafficked 
in  wine  and  oil  and  fine  flour  and  wheat  and  beasts 
and  sheep  and  horses  and  chariots  and  slaves  and  the 
souls  of  men' ;  do  we  not  know  her  well?  In  one  short 
hour,  says  the  prophet,  this  great  wealth  shall  be 
laid  waste,  when  God  takes  vengeance  upon  her 
because  of  those  slain  souls  crying  to  him  from  under 
his  altar,  'How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long?' 
The  shining  vision  Beyond  the  Vision  of  judgment  meted 
of  the  New  out  to  all  cruelty  and  oppression  and 

Jerusalem.  brutal  materialism  John  sees  the  fair 

shining  of  the  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth,  and 
the  Holy  City,  the  New  Jerusalem,  coming  down  out 
of  heaven  from  God,  and  hears  the  voice  which  says, 

"God's  dwelling  place  is  among  men 
And  he  will  dwell  among  them, 
And  they  shall  be  his  peoples. 
Yes,  God  himself  v/ill  be  among  them." 

This  is  the  consummation  for  which  we  work, — a 
Holy  City,  a  New  Jerusalem, —  not  the  old  Jerusalem 
that  slew  her  prophets,  the  old  Rome  that  debauched 
the  nations,  the  old  New  York  or  London  that 
traded  in  the  souls  of  men,  but  a  New  City,  coming 
down  out  of  heaven,  a  New  City  in  a  new  earth  where 
God  will  make  his  dwelling  among  men. 
Co-operating  with  The  Old  Testament  begins  with 
God  for  a  new  mankind  in  a  garden;  the  New  closes 
^^^^-  with   mankind  in  a  glorious   city  in 


.  Message  of  the  New  Testament  93 

which  there  needs  to  be  no  church  or  temple,  for 
God's  own  presence  fills  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light 
of  it.  The  Bible  is  always  forward-looking.  Its 
golden  age  is  never  in  the  past.  A  great  hope  blows 
across  its  pages.  A  divine  Adventure  summons  the 
souls  of  men  to  work  together  with  God  for  the 
creation  of  a  new  earth  in  which  righteousness,  no 
longer  pilgrim  and  stranger,  is  at  home;  and  in  which 
the  Lamb  for  sinners  slain  is  loved  and  worshipped 
by  every  heart. 

"Will  it  never  come,  that  age  of  light  and  purity  of  heart? 
Never?  Let  me  not  entertain  the  doubt.  Surely  there  will  some 
day  be  reached  that  Eternal  Gospel  promised  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment."    Lessing. 

"Come  forth,  out  of  thy  royal  chambers,  O  Prince  of  all  the 
kings  of  the  earth!  Put  on  the  visible  robes  of  thine  imperial 
majesty,  take  up  that  unlimited  sceptre  which  thy  Almighty 
Father  hath  bequeathed  thee;  for  now  the  voice  of  the  bride 
calls  thee,  and  all  creatures  sigh  to  be  renewed."      Milton. 


PART  TWO 


OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  III. 


aim:  To  set  forth  the  work  of  translators  through  whose  labors 
the  Bible  has  become  the  possession  of  the  race;  to  trace 
the  history  of  the  early  translations  and  versions,  and  to 
follow  the  missionary  translators  of  the  nineteenth  century 
as  they  have  grappled  with  the  tremendous  task  of  putting 
the  Bible  into  hundreds  of  tongues,  many  of  them  never 
before  reduced  to  writing, 

I.    EARLIEST   TRANSLATIONS. 

I.    The  Greek  Septuagint  B.  C,  and  the  Ancient  Versions 
A.D. 

II.  PLACE  OF  THE  BIBLE  AMONG  EARLY  CHRISTIANS. 

1.  Highly  honored. 

2.  Open  to  the  laity. 

3.  Used  in  education  of  children. 

III.  THE    BIBLE   IN    EARLY  MISSIONARY   ENTERPRISES. 

1.  The  Greek  Church  makes  the  Coptic,  Syriac,  Ethiopic, 
and  Gothic  Versions. 

2.  Missionary  expansion  in  India  and  China. 

3.  The  Gothic  Bible  of  Ulfilas. 

4.  Decline  of  Bible  reading  in  Middle  Ages. 

5.  The  English  Bible. 

IV.  BIBLE  TRANSLATION  IN  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT. 

1.  Bible  wonderfully  adapted  to  translation. 

2.  Great   numbers   of  translations    (Compared    to    other 
books,  'The  Pilgrim* s  Progress). 

3.  Bible  Translations  essential  to  missionary  progress. 

4.  Difficulties  of  Bible  Translation. 

5.  Benefits  conferred  by  Bible  Translation. 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue  95 

V.  SOME  NOTABLE  TRANSLATORS. 

1.  William  Carey. 

2.  Adoniram  Judson  of  Burma. 

3.  Robert  Morrison,  Schereschewsky,  Wells  Williams,  and 
Gutzlaff  of  China. 

4.  Brown  and  Hepburn  of  Japan. 

5.  Hiram  Bingham,  Henry  Nott,  John  Williams,  John  G. 
Paton,  and  W.  G.  Lawes  of  the  Pacific  Islands. 

VI.    ROMANCES  OF  BIBLE  TRANSLATION. 


In  Madagascar. 

In  Darkest  Africa  (Pilkington  of  Uganda). 

The  White  Man's  Book  of  Heaven. 

The  Dakota,  Navaho,  and  Cherokee  Bibles. 

In  Moslem  lands. 


5- 

VII.       BIBLE  TRIUMPHS   OF  THE   NINETEENTH    CENTURY. 

1.  Translation  of  Scriptures  a  mighty  achievement. 

2.  Strategy  of  Bible  Translation. 


CHAPTER  III 


EVERY   MAN    IN    HIS    OWN    TONGUE 

"The  most  important  single  agency  in  the  work  of  evangelization   is  the 
Bible."  'John  R.  Mott. 


T,-!-,  ^      1  .•       We  have  seen  in  the  first  two  studies 

Bible  Translation.     ,  i         tt,  •  i  i        •        •  i 

that  the  Bible  in  its  nature  and 
teachings  is  fundamentally  missionary,  a  book  built 
for  man  and  carrying  a  message  for  man.  In  the 
present  chapter  we  shall  study  the  process  of  trans- 
lation by  which  the  Bible  itself  became  the  active 
agent  in  the  dissemination  of  Christian  truth. 
The  Septuagint  The  process  of  translation,  as  we  have 
Version.  seen,  began  in  the  third  century  be- 

fore Christ,  when  the  OM  Testament  was  translated 
into  Greek,  then  the  common  language  of  trade, 
commerce,  and  intercourse  between  nations.  With 
the  wide  dispersion  of  the  Jews  among  the  countries 
surrounding  the  Mediterranean,  multitudes  of  them 
came  to  use  Greek  as  their  mother  tongue.  The  in- 
fluence and  popularity  of  this  version  may  be  judged 
from  the  fact  that  the  quotations  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment which  appear  in  the  New  are  for  the  most  part 
taken  from  the  Septuagint  and  not  from  the  Hebrew 
original. 

Earliest  versions  of  With  the  rapid  Spread  of  Christianity 
the  Christian  era.  during  the  first  three  centuries  there 
arose  a  demand  for  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  into  the  mother 
tongue  of  races  that  received  the  gospel.  The  earliest 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue  97 

of  these  'ancient  versions,'  as  they  are  called,  are  the 
Syrian,  Armenian,  Coptic,  Latin,  and  Ethiopic. 
The  Scriptures       These  early  versions  are  an  evidence 
among  early  of  the  exalted  place  which  these  early 

Chnstians.  Christians  gave  to  the  Bible.  Their 

Christianity  was  a  living  religion,  an  actively  propa- 
gating faith.  It  could  not  do  without  its  Bible.  Jews 
were  to  be  convinced  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah;  and 
this  could  be  done  only  through  their  ancient 
Scriptures.  Heathen  nations  were  to  be  won,  and 
they,  like  the  Jews,  needed  the  Bible.  The  sacred 
Book  was  not  a  fetich  kept  in  charge  by  a  hierarchy; 
it  was  the  voice  of  God  speaking  in  reproof,  in  in- 
struction, and  in  upbuilding  in  righteousness. 
Use  of  the  Bible  The  great  German  critic  Harnack  has 
by  the  laity.  triumphantly  proved  by  an  examina- 

tion of  the  writings  of  the  Church  Fathers  that  the 
Bible  was  open  to  all  Christians  during  these  early 
centuries.  More  than  that,  the  duty  of  daily  Bible 
reading  was  enjoined  upon  all,  catechumens  and 
mature  Christians  alike;  and  the  practice  of  a  daily 
'lectio'  or  Bible  reading  prevailed  in  family  life. 
It  is  amazing,  in  the  light  of  later  prohibitions,  to 
learn  that  during  the  whole  of  the  first  thousand  years 
of  the  Christian  era  no  instance  is  known  either  of 
prohibition  or  restriction  of  Bible  reading. 
Church  Fathers  on  There  is  not  here  space  to  quote  from 
Bible  reading.  Clement,  Polycarp,  Tatian,  Justin 
Martyr,  and  other  early  Church  Fathers,  but  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  three  of  them  say  that  they 
themselves  became  Christians  through  the  reading 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Harnack  shows  that  during 
the  period  from  Irenaeus  to Eusebius,  while  the  Church 


98  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Fathers  were  formulating  church  discipline  in  regard 
to  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper,  no  one  ever 
thought  of  withdrawing  the  free  use  of  the  Scriptures 
from  the  laity,  but,  on  the  contrary,  bishops  and 
teachers  united  in  urging  the  industrious  reading  of 
the  Scriptures.  Irenaeus  says  that  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures must,  as  far  as  possible,  be  read  by  each  for 
himself.  Clement  writes  that  married  people  should 
pray  and  read  the  Scriptures  together.  He  also  says 
that  the  best  time  for  Bible  reading  is  before  the 
chief  meal  of  the  day.  The  deepest  reason  for  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  is  that  given  by  Cyprian. 
*In  prayer,'  he  says,  *we  speak  to  God,  but  in  reading 
the  Scriptures  he  speaks  to  us.'  Origen  considers 
one  or  two  hours  daily  not  too  long  a  time  to  devote 
to  divine  things.  He  tells  us  that  his  father  had  made 
a  special  point  of  seeing  that  his  son  was  instructed 
in  the  Scriptures  and  made  him  each  day  learn  by 
heart  and  repeat  some  passage. 

Children  trained  It  brings  these  far-away  Christians 
in  the  Scriptures,  very  close  to  US  when  we  find  instruc- 
tions that  'children  in  Christian  homes  should  be 
introduced  to  the  Bible  from  the  very  earliest  age.* 
'Little  boys  and  girls  should  learn  to  put  together 
Biblical  names  with  their  ivory  letter-blocks,  choos- 
ing the  names  from  our  Lord's  genealogies.'  'Little 
girls  from  seven  years  onward  should  learn  the  Psalms 
by  heart  and  should  have  read  the  Bible  through  be- 
fore the  age  of  maturity.'  "We  have  here,"  says 
Harnack,  "a  glimpse  into  the  home  of  an  ordinary 
Christian  citizen;  the  children  daily  hear  the  Scrip- 
tures read  and  learn  passages  of  them  by  heart;  a 
Bible  was  not  only  in  the  home;  the  Bible  was  the 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue 


99 


principal  text-book  of  education;  the  chief  aim  in  the 
whole  training  of  a  child  was  that  he  should  be 
taught  to  understand  the  Bible."  It  was  no  accident 
that  such  use  of  the  Bible  made  a  missionary  church 
and  created  the  need  of  the  first  great  translations. 
Translations  by  The  Eastern  or  Greek  Church  was 
the  Greek  Church,  especially  active  in  this  work  of 
translation.  To  the  labors  of  its  earliest  missionaries 
are  due  the  translation  into  the  vernacular  tongue 
of  Egypt,  the  Coptic  version;  the  Syriac  version, 
notably  that  known  as  the  Peshito;  and  the  Ethiopic 
or  Abyssinian  version.  The  limits  of  our  study  do 
not  permit  a  detailed  account  of  these  ancient  ver- 
sions. The  Coptic  Bible  is  still  used  in  the  worship 
of  the  Coptic  churches  of  Egypt,  an  ancient  church 
long  moribund,  but  now,  under  the  stimulating  con- 
tact with  the  American  Mission,  rising  to  new  life. 
The  Syriac  The  Syriac  version  exerted  a  wide- 

Version,  spread  and  commanding  influence  for 

centuries.  The  churches  of  Syria,  Armenia,  Persia, 
and  Mesopotamia  sent  their  missionaries  far  into 
the  east  and  south,  carrying  the  Bible  with  them. 
Monuments  of  this  early  missionary  expansion  still 
exist.  In  Southern  India  there  is  a  large  body  of 
Christians  known  as  the  Syrian  Christians,  which 
has  maintained  an  unbroken  existence  from  the 
earliest  years  of  the  Christian  Era.  These  Syrian 
Christians  in  Travancore  and  Cochin  claim  that  the 
Apostle  Thomas  himself  was  the  founder  of  their 
church.  Whatever  be  the  truth  of  this  tradition  it 
seems  certain  that  early  in  the  fourth  century  a  bish- 
op from  Edessa,  with  a  large  following  of  those  who 
were  driven  out  from   the  Persian  Empire   during 


loo  The  Bible  and  Missions 

the  severe  and  long-continued  persecutions  of  the 
Christians,  came  into  India. 

Syrian  Christians  During  the  time  when  Portugal  dom- 
of  South  India.  inated  South  India  these  Indian 
Christians  suffered  persecution  to  force  them  to 
submit  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  These  persecutions 
ceased  only  with  the  coming  of  Dutch  and,  later, 
British  rule.  There  are  today  two  bodies  of  these 
Syrian  Christians,  the  Roman  Catholic  numbering 
about  300,000,  and  the  Syrian  Christians  proper, 
not  quite  so  many.  These  last  are  undergoing  a 
wonderful  awakening,  sending  their  sons  to  modern 
schools,  overcoming  ancient  sectarian  prejudices 
and  taking  on  a  new  sense  of  responsibility  for 
Christianizing  the  communities  in  which  they  dwell. 
The  Nestorian  A  monument  to  the  far-flung  mis- 
Tablet,  sion  line  of  the  ancient  Nestorian 
Church  was  disclosed  in  the  discovery  of  the  Nestorian 
Tablet  at  Si-nan-fu  in  Northwestern  China.  It  was 
in  1625  that  a  Chinese  laborer,  digging  the  founda- 
tions of  a  house,  unearthed  a  great  slab,  seven  and 
one-half  feet  high  by  three  feet  wide.  This  was 
covered  with  Chinese  characters  surrounded  by 
others  which  the  Chinese  could  not  decipher.  It  was 
in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation.  Jesuit  missiona- 
ries made  known  the  discovery  of  this  treasure,  but 
no  attention  was  paid  to  it.  Semedo,  the  priest  who 
reported  the  discovery,  was  later  transferred  to  South 
India,  where  he  learned  that  the  strange  characters 
were  undoubtedly  Syriac.  The  Nestorian  Tablet 
continued  to  excite  discussion  and  for  the  most  part 
derision  (Voltaire  scoffed  at  the  idea  of  its  authen- 
ticity)   until    1853,    when    the    American    Oriental 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         ioi 

Society,  on  the  instigation  of  an  American  missionary, 
Dr.  E.  C.  Bridgman,  began  a  scientific  investigatioru. 
A  great  sinologue,  Mr.  A.  Wylie,  made  the  investiga- 
tion, found  the  tablet,  took  a  rubbing  of  it  and 
published  his  translation.  His  findings  and  transla- 
tion were  confirmed  by  later  visitors  before  the 
precious  monument  was  broken  and  partially  defaced 
by  vandals.  The  tablet  contains  an  edict  by  a 
Chinese  Emperor  in  746  A.D.  It  eulogizes  Christian- 
ity, gives  a  brief  summary  of  Christian  doctrine, 
speaks  of  twenty-seven  sacred  books  (the  New  Testa- 
ment), of  baptism,  and  of  the  Trinity.  It  further 
recounts  the  arrival  of  the  missionaries  in  6^^  A.D. 
and  commends  the  new  faith.  The  square  border 
contains  lists  of  the  names  of  the  priests  and  officials. 
Monuments  of  This  ancient  monument  in  China  and 
Syrian  missions,  the  three  Persian  Crosses  with  their 
old  Syriac  inscriptions  found  during  some  excava- 
tions near  Madras,  South  India,  are  the  permanent 
witnesses  to  the  missionary  activities  of  these  Syrian 
Christians.  The  inscription  about  the  cross  in  the 
India  tablet  reads:  ''Lei  me  not  glory  except  in  the 
Cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,''* 

The  Vulgate  of  The  greatest  translation  of  the  Bible 
St.  Jerome.  during  the  early  centuries  of  Chris- 

tianity was  that  by  St.  Jerome  into  Latin,  common- 
ly called  the  Vulgate.  This  great  version  displaced 
earlier  and  crude  Latin  translations  and  became  the 
authoritative  Bible  of  the   Roman  Church.  As  the 


*Note:  A  picture  of  the  tablet  and  also  of  the  Nestorian  Tablet  found  in 
.Si-nan-fu,  with  the  translation  of  the  same,  may  be  found  in  The  Conversion  0/ 
India,  by  George  Smith  (Revell,  1894),  pp.  20-25,  ^47"^5°>  ^'so  in  Two  Thousand 
Years  0/  Missions  Be/ore  Carey,  L.  C.  Barnes,  pp.  91,  109. 


102  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Eastern  Empire  broke  up  and  the  use  of  Greek  de- 
clined, the  Vulgate  became  the  only  Bible  generally 
accessible  in  Europe,  during  the  Middle  Ages.  The 
Vulgate,  indeed,  was  the  text  from  which  the  first 
great  English  translation,  that  of  Wyclif,  was  made. 
The  Bible  of  Before  we  leave  the  subject  of  these 

Ulfiias,  the  Goth,  early  translations  one  more  must  be 
mentioned,  that  of  Ulfiias  into  Gothic  during  the 
middle  of  the  fourth  century,  in  order  to  give  the 
gospel  to  the  barbarian  tribes  who  were  continually 
pressing  down  upon  the  old  Roman  Empire  from  the 
north.  The  civilization  of  the  Roman  Empire  was 
saved  from  complete  destruction  at  the  hands  of 
the  barbarians,  because  these  conquering  hordes  had 
been  in  part  already  redeemed  from  barbarism  by 
the  missionaries  of  the  Cross.  Among  the  greatest 
of  these  was  Ulfiias,  who  for  the  love  of  Christ  and 
his  gospel  left  the  city  of  Constantinople  and  'all 
its  luxuries'  to  bury  himself  among  the  Goths  in  the 
dark  forest,  beyond  the  Danube.  Before  he  died  in 
381  A.D.  Ulfiias  saw  practically  the  whole  Gothic 
nation  following  in  the  footsteps  of  their  King 
Athanaric  in  the  profession  of  the  Christian  faith. 
The  Goths  had  no  written  language.  Ulfiias  in- 
vented one,  borrowing  some  of  his  letters  from  Latin 
and  Greek.  They  had  no  books.  He  translated  the 
Bible  for  them,  and  it  was  circulated  in  manuscript 
among  their  roving  tribes  as  their  chief  treasure. 
**We  know,'*  says  Gibbon,  "that  the  Goths  and 
Vandals  alike  carried  it  with  them  on  their  wander- 
ings through  Europe.  The  Vandals  took  it  into 
Spain  and  Africa  and  with  their  leader  Genseric  it 
came  round  to  Rome."  A  fragment  of  this  earhest 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         103 

writing  in  Germanic  speech  has  been  preserved  for 
us  and  is  now  cherished  in  the  Hbrary  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Upsala,  Sweden.  The  manuscript  is  written 
in  letters  of  silver  on  purple  vellum.  Other  fragments 
of  the  Bible  of  Ulfilas  have  been  recovered  from 
various  monasteries. 

Decline  of  Bible  During  the  break-up  of  the  Roman 
reading  and  re-  Empire  the  number  of  schools  and 
vivai  in  Eleventh  readers  declined,  and  the  Church  steadi- 
Century.  \y   advanced   in   its   hierarchical    and 

liturgical  features.  It  gradually  came  about  that 
only  the  'religious/  that  is,  those  in  monasteries  or 
the  priesthood,  were  expected  to  read  the  Scriptures. 
It  was  felt  to  be  inexpedient  to  translate  the  Holy 
Writings  into  the  crude  new  vernaculars  of  the 
people.  Most  people  were  illiterate  and  did  not 
want  the  Bible,  because  they  could  not  read  it. 
But  in  the  eleventh  century,  with  the  awakening  of 
civilization,  reading  again  became  popular  and  the 
people  suddenly  began  to  want  to  read  the  Bible. 
The  Church,  fearful  of  heresy,  opposed  the  idea  of 
lay-reading  of  the  Bible;  but  the  idea  would  not 
down.  In  various  parts  of  Europe  different  men 
began  the  attempt  to  translate  the  Bible  into  the 
mother  tongue  of  the  common  people,  undeterred 
by  the  fact  that  such  attempts  were  sternly  suppress- 
ed and  often  resulted  in  the  imprisonment  or  execu- 
tion of  the  translator. 

The  English  The  greatest  among  all  the  European 

Bible.  translations     are    the    English    and 

German.  Wyclif,  Tyndale,  Coverdale,  and  the  later 
translators  made  the  Christian  Scriptures  accessible 
to  the  common  people  of  England,  in  a  translation 


I04  The  Bible  and  Missions 

that  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  greatest  literary 
masterpiece  of  the  English  language.  The  circula- 
tion and  influence  of  Wyclifs  version  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that,  although  every  copy  that  could  be 
found  was  burned,  one  hundred  and  seventy  copies 
are  still  preserved.  Lord  Bacon  tells  us  that  at  the 
time  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  coronation,  when  the 
petitions  for  the  release  of  political  prisoners  were 
presented  to  Her  Majesty,  one  of  her  courtiers  told 
her  that  there  were  five  other  prisoners  long  and 
unjustly  detained  in  prison.  When  asked  to  name 
them  the  petitioner  replied  that  they  were  the  four 
Evangelists  and  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  had  long  been 
shut  up  in  an  unknown  tongue,  so  that  they  could 
not  converse  with  the  common  people. 
Bible  best  adapted  Our  main  business  in  this  chapter  is 
to  translation.  to  trace  the  work  of  Bible  translation 
in  the  modern  Missionary  Movement.  The  phenom- 
enon of  Bible  translation  is  without  parallel  in  vast- 
ness  and  variety.  No  book  was  ever  translated  so 
often  or  into  so  many  languages.  No  book  ever  stood 
the  test  of  translation  so  triumphantly.  The  Bible 
neither  shrinks  nor  fades  in  the  process  of  transla- 
tion. Just  the  opposite  is  true  of  many  of  the  sacred 
books.  The  Koran,  for  example,  from  the  sonorous 
beauty  of  its  Arabic  style  retains  its  charm  for  the 
Moslem  mind, — but  translate  it!  Of  the  result 
Carlyle  says:  "A  wearisome,  confused  jumble,  crude, 
incondite;  endless  iterations,  long-windedness,  en- 
tanglement, insupportable  stupidity,  in  short." 
John  Ruskin  says:  "I  have  read  three  or  four  pages 
of  the  translation  of  the  Koran,  and  never  want  to 
read  more." 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         105 

Bible  translations  At  the  beginning  of  the  modern  era 
ofthe  last  century,  of  missions  the  Bible  had  been  trans- 
lated into  28  languages.  Since  the  opening  of  the 
nineteenth  century  the  Bible  has  been  translated  in 
whole  or  in  part  into  456  languages;  the  complete 
Bible  into  112  languages,  the  New  Testament  into 
1 1 1  more  languages,  and  one  or  more  books  of  Scrip- 
ture into  233  other  languages.  Taking  all  agencies 
into  account  the  Bible,  in  whole  or  in  part,  has  now 
been  translated  into  600  distinct  forms  of  human 
speech.  There  are  still  languages  and  dialects, 
spoken  by  people,  into  which  the  Bible  has  not  yet 
gone.  These  are  for  the  most  part  the  languages  not 
yet  reduced  to  writing.  In  translating  the  Bible  the 
missionaries  have  often  needed  to  create  an  alphabet 
and  written  form  for  the  spoken  words.  They  have 
discovered  to  the  people  the  capacity  of  their  own 
tongue. 

Translations  of  When  the  vast  work  of  Bible  trans- 
Bible  compared  lation  IS  Compared  with  the  trans- 
with  those  of  lation  of  Other  great  works  of  litera- 
other  books.  ture,   its    unique    position    becomes 

evident. 

The  Pilgrim's  The  book  that  stands  next  to  the  Bi- 
Progress.  ble  in  the  number  of  its  translations  is 

The  Pilgrim's  Progress,  which  has  been  put  into  one 
hundred  languages. 

Bible  translation  The  value  of  this  network  of  Bible 
essential  to  mis-  translation  Spread  over  the  whole 
sionary  progress,  ^^j-jj  ^^n  hardly  be  Overestimated. 
The  problem  of  creating  a  self-sustaining,  self- 
propagating  church  in  a  non-Christian  country 
seems  bound  up  with  the  supplying  of  the  Bible  in 


io6  The  Bible  and  Missions 

the  mother  tongue  and  with  making  it  accessible 
to  the  ordinary  individual.  In  the  ancient  mission- 
ary enterprises  of  the  Church  this  was  not  done. 
The  Syrian  Church  made  no  translations,  but  took 
its  Syriac  Bible  into  India  and  China.  The  Roman 
Catholic  missionaries  were  for  the  most  part  content 
to  allow  the  Gospel  to  remain  wrapped  in  its  Latia 
vestments.  The  heroic  Jesuit  missionaries  who  en- 
deavored to  win  the  North  American  Indians  to 
Christ  left  no  permanent  impress,  as  they  left  no 
Gospels.  Their  great  work  in  Japan  was  the  more 
easily  stamped  out  by  the  persecutions  of  the 
seventeenth  century  because  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  Japanese  Christians  had  no  Japanese  Bible 
on  which  to  nourish  their  faith.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  newly  evangelized  Christians  of  Madagascar 
lived  through  twenty-five  years  of  the  most  awful 
persecution,  increasing  meanwhile  from  a  handful  to 
thousands,  because  they  had  the  Bible  in  their 
possession. 

Difficulties  of  The  difficulties  of  translating  the 
Bible  translation.  Bible  are  enormous.  In  addition  to 
those  that  inhere  in  any  work  of  translation  there 
'  are  special  difficulties  due  to  the  Bible's  elevation 
of  thought,  and  to  the  extremely  backward  condition 
of  many  of  the  peoples  into  whose  language  the  Bible 
has  been  translated.  There  is  the  difficulty  of  ter- 
minology. How  express  abstract  ideas  like  sanctifi- 
cation,  justification,  salvation,  retribution,  faith,  in 
the  language  of  barbarians  or  savages?  In  Tahitian 
there  was  no  word  for  Jaith  or  conscience^  in  the 
Maori  tongue  no  word  for  hope  or  law.  Yet  these 
difficulties   have  been   overcome.  The  stories   of  a 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         107 

missionary's  search  for  a  word  often  cover  months 
or  even  years  in  which  he  has  been  trying  to  explain 
the  idea  to  the  natives.  They  have  assured  him 
that  they  had  no  word  to  express  such  an  idea,  and 
then  some  day  a  word  used  in  a  more  Hmited  way 
proves  just  the  one  sought  for. 

Hunting  for  Among  the  Kele  people  in  the  Congo 

'thanksgiving.'  Mr.  Millman  of  the  English  Baptist 
Missionary  Society  had  long  sought  the  words  for 
"thanks,"  ''thankfulness,"  "thanksgiving,"  but  with- 
out success.  One  day  he  killed  a  leopard  which  had 
the  day  before  attempted  to  carry  off  a  poor  woman's 
little  daughter.  The  mother,  leading  a  band  of  wom- 
en, came  to  his  house  to  sing  her  gratitude.  The 
first  word  of  her  song  was  Kelekele.  In  telling  the 
story  later  one  of  the  school  boys  said,  "She  gave  the 
white  man  kelekele.^'  Here  was  the  word  out  of  which 
Mr.  Millman  could  make  the  various  forms  to  indi- 
cate the  idea  of  'thanks'  in  his  translation  of  the 
Bible. 

Where  there  are  When  the  Moravian  missionaries  in 
no  sheep  or  New   Guinea    translated    the   Lord's 

shepherds.  Prayer  they  had  to  substitute  "Come, 

thou  Chieftain  Great"  for  "Thy  Kingdom  Come." 
In  Alaska,  where  there  are  no  sheep  nor  shepherds, 
the  missionaries  rendered  the  opening  words  of  the 
twenty-third  Psalm  by  "The  Lord  is  a  first  class 
mountain  hunter."  In  Greenland,  John's  words, 
'Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,'  had  to  be  rendered  by 
substituting  the  name  of  the  only  animal  about 
which  the  people  had  thoughts  of  tenderness,  "Look, 
God's  little  Seal!" 


io8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Enlarging  a  Imagine   the  difficulties  of  a  trans- 

people's  soul.  later  who  tries  to  phrase  "the  shadow 
of  a  great  rock"  in  the  language  of  Pacific  Islanders 
who  have  never  seen  a  rock,  or  to  translate  "hoar 
frost,"  "ice,"  "snow,"  for  the  natives  of  Equatorial 
Africa,  or  the  "Rose  of  Sharon  and  the  Lily  of  the 
Valley"  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  frozen  north. 
Think  of  tribes  who  have  no  word  for  "conscience" 
or  "chastity"  or  "virginity,"  and  see  by  what  dis- 
cipline the  translated  Bible  enlarges  the  soul  of  a 
people. 

Difficulties  in  the  Nor  are  the  difficulties  of  transla- 
translator's  heart,  tion  all  exterior  to  the  translator. 
The  greatest  assets  are  in  his  soul  and  mind;  in  his 
grasp  on  the  truth,  his  knowledge  of  the  new  language; 
his  appreciation  of  delicate  distinctions  ofmeaning;his 
ability  to  orientalize  himself  so  as  to  "think  black" 
with  the  African,  or  think  Chinese  with  the  Chinese; 
his  willingness  to  lay  aside  prejudice  and  preconcep- 
tion so  that  the  Book  may  flow  through  his  mind 
unwarped  and  uncolored  by  sectarian  or  theological 
twists  of  his  own;  his  pluck  and  endurance  and  un- 
wearied patience.  All  these  enter  into  the  making  of 
a  translation  and  make  its  excellence.  It  is  the  fight 
in  his  own  soul  that  is  the  real  battle  ground  in 
translation. 

Benefits  of  Bible  The  difficulties  attending  the  trans- 
translation,  lation  of  the  Bible  sink  into  insignif- 
icance when  we  contrast  them  with  the  benefits 
which  the  translators  have  conferred  upon  mankind. 
Without  their  aid  the  modern  science  of  Philology 
could  hardly  have  been  created.  No  motive  less  com- 
pelling than  that  which  drives  the  missionary  to  live 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         109 

in  desert  and  savage  regions  of  the  earth  could  have 
induced  scientists  to  bury  themselves  for  a  lifetime 
in  intimate  daily  association  with  degraded  or  savage 
peoples.  The  desire  to  reduce  a  'language  of  clicks 
and  grunts  and  squeaks  and  hiccoughs*  to  writing 
is  hardly  strong  enough  to  compel  the  necessary 
sacrifice.  From  the  days  when  Ulfilas  reduced  le 
writing  the  language  of  the  Goths  and  gave  them 
their  Bible,  and  Cyril  and  Methodius  invented  an 
alphabet  for  the  Slavic  peoples,  and  translated  the 
Scriptures  into  their  language  until  the  present 
time  philological  studies  have  been  based  largely  upon 
materials  supplied  by  missionary  translators.  It  is 
necessary  to  mention  only  Carey's  Sanskrit  studies 
and  his  polyglot  attainments  in  the  languages  of  India, 
Koelle  who  compared  one  hundred  African  languages 
and  dialects  in  his  book,  Polyglotta  Ajricana^  and 
for  these  studies  was  awarded  the  Volney  Prize  in 
1853  by  the  French  Institute,  Mr.  J.  T.  Last  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  and  Rev.  W.  H.  Staple- 
ton  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission  who  have  greatly 
furthered  the  scientific  study  and  classification  of 
the  languages  of  the  Congo  tribes. 

'J^he  science  of  Lexicography  is  equally  indebted  to 
these  missionary  translators.  In  order  to  make  Bibles 
they  have  needed  to  make  dictionaries.  These  dic- 
tionaries have  been  indispensable  to  the  diplomacy 
and  commerce  of  Western  nations  with  the  Orient. 
To  mention  but  a  few:  there  is  the  astounding 
Dictionary  of  all  Sanskrit-derived  languages  made 
by  William  Carey  and  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 
printing  house  of  Serampore;  there  is  the  same 
missionary's  three-volume  Bengali  dictionary.  There 


no  The  Bible  and  Missions 

are  Judson's  monumental  Burmese  dictionary,  Morri- 
son's Chinese  dictionary,  published  by  the  East 
India  Company  at  an  expense  of  J6o,ooo,  and  the 
later  work  of  S.  Wells  Williams.  These  books 
have  laid  the  whole  modern  world  in  debt  to  their 
authors.  Hepburn's  dictionary  of  Japanese  opened 
an  era  of  contact  between  Japan  and  outside  nations. 
The  German-Tibetan  and  the  English-Tibetan  dic- 
tionaries are  both  the  work  of  one  Moravian  mission- 
ary. Rev.  H.  A.  Jaschke.  James  S.  Dennis,  in  his 
Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress ^  vol.  Ill,  pp. 
409-420,  lists  sixty-one  dictionaries  of  different  African 
languages,  among  them  the  monumental  dictionary 
of  the  Kaffir  language  in  five  hundred  octavo  pages, 
double  columns,  which  occupied  well-nigh  the  whole 
lifetime  of  Albert  Krapf.  There  are  thirty-seven 
dictionaries  in  the  tongues  of  British  India,  among 
them  the  Tamil-English  dictionary  of  Dr.  Miron 
Winslow,  consisting  of  67,452  words;  of  these  30,551 
were  listed  for  the  first  time  by  this  missionary 
lexicographer.  The  various  dialects  of  China  are 
served  by  twenty-one  dictionaries. 
William  Carey,  The  life  stories  of  thcsc  missionary 
translator  of  the  translators  are  of  surpassing  interest. 
Book.  Prominent  among  them  all  is  William 

Carey,  a  man  worthy  to  stand  among  the  few  most 
highly  endowed  men  of  all  time.  His  life  is  too  well 
known  to  need  retelling;  but  many  who  are  familiar 
with  his  services  as  a  great  missionary  pioneer  do 
not  realize  his  superb  gifts  as  a  linguist. 
Extent  of  his  Carey  made  or  edited,  between  the 

labors.  years  1801  and  1822,  thirty-six  trans- 

lations of  the  Scriptures;  six  were  versions  of  the  en- 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         hi 

tire  Bible,  and  twenty-three,  of  the  entire  New 
Testament.  Not  only  were  these  translations  made, 
but  they  were  published,  every  step  of  the  mechani- 
cal process  being  attended  with  incredible  toil. 
When  the  traveler  looks  upon  that  row  of  ponderous 
tomes  preserved  in  the  library  of  the  college  founded 
by  Carey  at  Serampore,  and  realizes  that  these  and 
more  are  the  product  of  one  man's  labors,  or  of  his 
revision  and  direction  of  other  men's  work,  the 
achievement  seems  superhuman.  In  addition  to 
these  thirty-six  translations  Carey  edited  and 
printed  eight  other  versions  for  whose  translating 
he  was  not  responsible.  It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that 
he  himself  had  to  break  ground,  being  for  the  most 
part  without  lexicons,  grammars,  and  commentaries. 
Says  Henry  C.  Vedder: 

"The  mythical  labors  of  Hercules  are  a  feather-weight  com- 
pared to  Carey's  actual  labors.  Well  does  he  deserve  the  title 
that  has  been  bestowed  upon  him,  the  Wyclif  of  India.  Before  he 
died,  through  his  agency  the  Scriptures  had  been  given  in  their 
own  language  to  three  hundred  and  thirty  million  people,  one- 
third  of  the  entire  population  of  the  globe;  and  two  hundred  and 
twelve  thousand  copies  of  these  versions  had  been  issued  from  the 
Serampore  presses.  Surely,  it  has  been  seldom  given  to  any  man 
to  do  a  greater  work  than  this,  one  more  far-reaching  in  its 
consequences,  more  lasting  in  its  results." 

Adoniram  judson,  Adoniram  Judson  of  Burma  is  an- 
his  sufferings  for  Other  of  the  noble  army  of  transla- 
Burma.  ^ors  whose  exploits  are  part  of  the 

imperishable  glory  of  the  Christian  Expeditionary 
Forces.  In  one  respect,  that  of  his  sufferings  for 
Christ,  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  other  missionary 
since  Paul  has  surpassed  Judson. 

Burma  was   at  that   time  an   independent  king- 


112  The  Bible  and  Missions 

dom,  under  the  rule  of  a  debased  and  despotic  govern- 
ment. When  war  broke  out  between  England  and 
Burma,  Judson  was  seized  and  thrown  into  the  death 
prison. 

The  Book  in  a  In  order  to  protect  the  precious  manu- 
piliow.  script  of  the  portion  of  Dr.  Judson's 

translation  of  the  Bible  already  completed,  Mrs. 
Judson  had  hidden  it  in  a  pillow  which  she  sewed 
up  in  a  stout  pillowcase  and  took  to  her  husband  for 
his  comfort  in  his  imprisonment.  When  the  prisoners 
were  suddenly  removed  from  Ava  to  Aungbinle,  the 
pillow  was  carelessly  thrown  out  into  the  yard.  From 
here  it  was  rescued  by  a  faithful  servant,  who  kept 
it  hidden  until  the  war  was  over  and  he  could  restore 
it  to  the  Judsons.  Thus  were  the  precious  pages,  the 
work  of  years,  preserved. 

Judson's  task  It  was  twenty-one  years  before  Adoni- 
completed.  ram  Judson  finished  his  translation 

of  the  entire  Bible  into  Burmese.  His  fine  scholarship, 
refusal  to  be  satisfied  with  anything  short  of  the  best 
possible  Burmese  phrase,  and  unremitting  toil  com- 
bined to  make  this  Burmese  translation  basic  for 
any  later  work  of  revision,  as  Luther's  Bible  in  Ger- 
man, and  Tyndale's  translation  in  English  are  basic. 
Importance  of  A  major  Strategic  operation  in  Chris- 
transiating  Bible  tianity's  conquest  of  the  world  was 
into  Chinese.  ^\^q    translation    of    the    Bible    into 

Chinese,  the  language  of  one-fourth  of  the  human 
race.  To  make  the  Christian  message  available  to 
such  a  fraction  is  by  virtue  of  its  very  vastness  an 
outstanding  fact  in  the  story  of  human  progress;  but 
where  the  achievement  is  weighed  as  well  as  sur- 
veyed, its  true  importance  appears. 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue        113 

Robert  Morrison,  As  ever  In  any  great  enterprise,  there 
master  workman,  is  in  this  enterprise  of  translating 
the  Bible  into  Chinese  one  outstanding  man,  Robert 
Morrison  of  England.  In  his  early  manhood  he  had 
dedicated  himself  to  the  work  of  Christ.  He  wrote: 

"Jesus,  I  have  given  myself  to  thy  service.  The  question  with 
me  is,  where  shall  I  serve?  I  learn  from  thy  Word  that  it  is  thy 
holy  pleasure  that  the  Gospel  should  be  preached  in  all  the 
world,  for  a  witness  to  all  nations..  .  .When  I  view  the  field,  O 
Lord,  my  Master,  I  perceive  that  by  far  the  greater  part  is  en- 
tirely without  laborers..  .  .whilst  there  are  thousands  crowded 
up  in  one  corner.  My  desire  is,  O  Lord,  to  engage  where  laborers 
are  most  wanted." 

God  granted  him  his  desire  and  sent  him  to  China, 
where  he  worked  faithfully  against  terrible  obstacles 
to  give  the  gospel  to  the  Chinese.  Since  all  public 
presentation  of  Christianity  was  forbidden,  he  saw 
that  his  one  line  of  access  lay  in  the  preparing  of 
books.  He  gave  his  remarkable  powers  to  the  study 
of  Chinese.  He  prepared  a  grammar  and  an  Anglo- 
Chinese  dictionary.  After  sixteen  years  he  published 
his  dictionary,  containing  forty  thousand  words. 
In  its  preparation  he  had  consulted  ten  thousand 
Chinese  volumes,  and  gained  a  knowledge  of  Chinese 
writings  such  as  no  European  had  ever  possessed. 
The  East  India  Company  published  the  dictionary 
in  six  huge  volumes,  at  a  cost  of  $6opoo, 

God's  Providential  God  had  been  the  great  Pioneer,  as 
preparation.  he  always  is  in  making  paths  in  the 

desert  along  which  the  human  pioneer  may  find  his 
way.  An  unknown  Catholic  missionary  had  com- 
pleted a  translation  of  part  of  the  New  Testament^ 
Acts,  Luke,  and  some  of  the  Epistles — and  his  for- 


ii4  The  Bible  and  Missions 

gotten  manuscript  was  discovered  by  Morrison 
in  the  British  Museum.  A  Chinese  man  was  found 
living  in  London,  at  that  time  a  very  unusual  cir- 
cumstance. This  man  guided  Morrison  in  his  first 
explorations  of  the  language,  and  taught  him  how 
to  use  a  Chinese  camel's-hair  brush  in  writing 
Chinese  characters.  With  the  help  which  this  man 
could  give  him,  Morrison  began,  and  in  a  few  months 
completed  transcriptions  of  this  manuscript  copy  of 
the  New  Testament.  He  took  this  book  with  him  to 
China,  and  also  a  copy  of  a  Latin-Chinese  vocabulary 
which  he  had  made  in  the  same  laborious  manner. 
While  very  imperfect,  these  both  proved  valuable  to 
him  in  unlocking  the  mysteries  of  the  language. 
Publishing  and  The  salary  received  by  Morrison  from 
distributing  first  the  East  India  Company  for  his 
Chinese  Bibles.  services  as  translator  enabled  him 
to  carry  on  his  ceaseless  studies  in  the  preparation 
of  a  Bible  for  the  Chinese.  He  was  joined  in  these 
labors  by  Robert  Milne,  who  worked  with  him  with 
one  heart  and  soul  in  the  great  enterprise.  The  Gos- 
pel of  Luke  was  published  in  1813,  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  1 8 14,  and  the  entire  Bible  in  18 19.  The 
death  penalty  was  still  in  force  against  any  Chinese 
who  adopted  a  foreign  religion,  and  so  Morrison  and 
Milne  were  forced  to  distribute  their  Bibles  for  the 
most  part  among  the  Chinese  who  had  emigrated  from 
their  own  land  and  were  both  more  liberal  and  more 
accessible.  They  were  distributed  in  the  Chinese 
colonies  in  Java,  Molucca,  and  Penang.  An  indica- 
tion of  the  difficulties  of  Bible  distribution  in  those 
days  is  given  in  a  report  written  in  1822,  in  which  it 
is  recorded  as  "a  matter  for  profound  gratitude  to 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue        115 

God  that  during  the  year  five  hundred  copies  of  the 
New  Testament  and  some  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment had  been  put  into  circulation,  although  it  was 
still  impracticable  to  distribute  the  Sacred  Volume 
within  the  domains  of  the  Emperor  of  China."  At 
that  time  and  for  many  years  later  all  these  books 
had  to  be  given  away.  It  was  impossible  to  sell  them. 

Later  translators:  The  field  of  Bible  translation  in 
Schereschewsky.  China  is  a  fascinating  one.  Its  ex- 
tent may  be  realized  by  perusing  a  pamphlet  of 
thirty-nine  pages  published  by  the  American  Bible 
Society  in  191 6.  The  entire  pamphlet  is  simply  a 
list  of  the  various  translations  and  revisions  made  up 
to  that  time.  It  is  possible  to  mention  but  a  few  of 
the  many  men  and  women  who  have  toiled  to  give 
the  Word  of  God  to  the  Chinese.  Among  the  most 
picturesque  characters  is  Bishop  Schereschewsky 
(Pronounced  Sker-es-kus'ky)  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  was  a  Russian  Jew,  born  in  1831. 
He  was  converted  in  Holland  through  reading  the 
New  Testament.  He  received  his  theological  educa- 
tion in  America,  whence  he  was  sent  to  China  as  a 
missionary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
Bishop  Schereschewsky  became  one  of  the  great 
translators.  He  had  part  in  the  revision  of  the  Man- 
darin Bible  and  made  a  translation  of  the  entire 
Bible  into  the  Wenli  or  Classical  Chinese.  During 
many  years  of  his  life  he  was  bedridden  and  paralyzed, 
having  only  partial  use  of  one  hand,  but  he  com- 
pleted his  task.  Among  other  translators  are  Gutz- 
laff,  who  made  the  version  used  by  the  leaders  of  the 
Tai  Ping  rebellion,  Rev.  Wm.  Dean,  W.  A.  P.  Mar- 


ii6  The  Bible  and  Missions 

tin.  Rev.  Griffith  John,  Rev.  C.  W.  Mateer,  and 
Rev.  Chauncey  Goodrich. 

A  Japanese  Bible  The  Bible  played  a  great  part  in  the 
made  in  China.  opening  of  Japan  to  the  gospel. 
Here  again  Providential  preparation  is  seen.  Dr. 
Karl  Friedrich  August  Gutzlaff  was  another  of  the 
linguistic  giants  whom  God  had  endowed  and 
brought  into  the  world  to  make  the  Bible  known 
outside  the  bounds  of  Christendom.  Dr.  Giitzlaflf 
had  been  sent  to  the  Far  East  in  1828  by  the  Nether- 
lands Missionary  Society.  On  his  way  to  his  field  in 
China  he  was  detained  in  Siam  and  improved  his 
time  by  translating  the  Bi^le  into  Siamese.  He 
reached  China  in  1831,  the  very  year  in  which  a 
Japanese  junk  was  storm  driven  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  The  boat,  after  being  tossed  about  for  months, 
was  wrecked  on  the  Oregon  coast,  the  survivors  were 
made  slaves  by  the  Indians,  rescued  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  and  were  sent  across  Canada  to 
England.  From  London  they  were  sent  back  to 
China,  and  after  four  years  of  wandering  landed  at 
Macao  in  December  of  1835.  Gutzlaff  took  them  to 
his  own  home,  and,  not  satisfied  with  having  made  a 
beginning  in  the  languages  of  Siam  and  China, 
promptly  began  to  learn  Japanese  from  his  guests. 
In  two  years  he  had  translated  the  Gospel  and  Epis- 
tles of  John  into  Japanese,  and  had  them  printed  at 
Singapore.  It  may  not  be  without  interest  to  men- 
tion that  this  same  Dr.  Gutzlaff  was  the  one  whose 
pamphlet  on  Medical  Missions  made  Livingstone 
decide  to  be  a  medical  missionary,  whose  Chinese 
translation  of  the  Bible  was  republished  by  the  lead- 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue        117 

ers  of  the  Tai  Ping  rebellion,  and  who  was  the  au- 
thor of  sixty-one  volumes  in  Chinese. 
Version  of  At   about   the   same   time   that   Dr. 

s.  Wells  Williams.  GutzlafF  was  preparing  his  Japanese 
version  of  the  Bible,  another  group  of  shipwrecked 
sailors  had  been  returned  by  Americans.  These  may 
have  been  driven  by  the  same  storm  that  wrecked 
the  other  Japanese  junk.  They  were  rescued  by  some 
Christian  men  and  sent  to  China,  since  the  laws  of 
Japan  did  not  permit  their  return  to  their  own  coun- 
try. Dr.  S.  Wells  Williams,  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able men  whom  America  has  sent  to  the  East,  re- 
ceived and  befriended  them.  Not  content  with  his 
mastery  of  the  Chinese  language — an  achievement 
quite  sufficient  for  one  man — he  began  to  learn  Jap- 
anese from  these  waifs,  and  made  a  translation  of 
the  Gospel  of  Matthew  and  the  book  of  Genesis. 
While  the  Japanese  of  these  sailors  was  probably 
none  of  the  purest.  Dr.  Williams  was  able  to  get  a 
sufficient  grasp  on  the  language  so  that  he  accom- 
panied Commodore  Perry  as  interpreter  when  the 
American  Navy  succeeded  in  opening  Japan  to 
intercourse  with  the  Western  World.  In  1837  he 
had  tried  to  gain  access  to  Japan,  only  to  be  driven 
away  by  the  batteries  in  Yeddo  Bay. 
The  First  Protes-  It  was  not  until  1 859  that  the  first 
tant  missionaries.  Protestant  missionaries  entered  the 
newly  opened  Empire  of  Japan.  One  of  their  first 
tasks  was  to  translate  the  Bible,  since  they  were 
still  strictly  forbidden  to  do  open  or  aggressive  Chris- 
tian work.  During  these  perilous  times  the  early 
missionaries  devoted  themselves  to  language  study 
and  to  translation.  The  five  men  who  reached  Japan 


Ii8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

during  the  first  year  of  Protestant  missions  were 
Rev.  John  Liggins  and  Rev.,  afterward  Bishop, 
C.  M.  Williams  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
Dr.  J.  C.  Hepburn  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
Dr.  S.  R.  Brown  and  Rev.  G.  T.  Verbeck  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed.  For  nearly  ten  years  these  men 
practically  had  the  field  to  themselves.  All  were 
mighty  men  of  God.  Quite  unexpectedly  to  Mr. 
Liggins  and  Mr.  Williams,  who  had  been  transferred 
from  China,  a  demand  sprang  up  for  the  Bible  in 
Chinese  translation.  Since  the  Chinese  and  Japanese 
use  the  same  characters  (the  Chinese)  in  their  writing, 
the  Japanese  could  understand  the  Chinese  character, 
although  reading  it  in  Japanese  words.  This  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  French  and  English 
both  understand  Arabic  numerals  though  they  give 
them  different  names. 

A  Bible  floating  Some  Chinese  books  had  a  big  influ- 
on  the  water.  ence  in  the  introduction  of  the  Jap- 
anese to  Christianity.  In  1855  a  young  nobleman 
named  Murata  Wasaka  was  in  charge  of  the  Western 
Coast  near  Nagasaki,  to  keep  out  all  foreigners. 
He  kept  the  harbor  guarded  by  a  cordon  of  boats. 
One  day  while  on  a  trip  of  inspection  he  found  a  book 
floating  on  the  water.  The  type  and  binding  so  in- 
terested him,  that  he  picked  it  out  of  the  water.  He 
asked  a  Dutch  interpreter  about  the  book  and  was 
told  that  it  was  a  New  Testament  in  Dutch,  but  that 
there  was  a  translation  of  it  in  Chinese.  Wasaka 
sent  a  man  to  Shanghai  to  buy  a  copy,  and  began  in 
secret  to  study  its  pages  with  his  younger  brother 
and  two  friends. 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         119 

Murata  and  his  When  the  first  missionaries  arrived 
brother  question  these  young  men  were  still  engaged 
Verbeck.  in  the  perilous  study  of  the  forbidden 

faith.  In  1862  the  younger  brother,  Ayabe,  traveled 
to  Nagasaki  under  pretense  of  studying  medicine, 
but  really  to  try  to  find  some  foreigner  who  could  ex- 
plain passages  which  were  hard  to  understand.  One 
of  his  questions  was  whether  Jesus  was  an  English- 
man, a  Dutchman,  or  a  Spaniard.  Here  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Guido  Verbeck  and  warned  him 
of  a  plot  against  his  life.  From  time  to  time  the  two 
brothers,  with  elaborate  precautions  against  discov- 
ery, sent  a  trusted  servant  named  Motono  with  new 
lists  of  questions.  At  that  time  there  were  no  rail- 
roads and  the  journey  to  Nagasaki  took  two  days. 
Verbeck  prepared  a  page  of  home  helps  for  these 
young  men  every  week.  Finally  the  two  brothers, 
with  no  witness  except  their  trusted  servant,  were 
baptized,  and  Motono  also,  by  Dr.  Verbeck  in  the 
springtime  of  1866.  With  great  courage  both  broth- 
ers reported  their  act  to  their  feudal  lord.  Neither 
of  them  suffered  persecution,  though  some  of  Wasa- 
ka's  Christian  books  were  burned  by  order  of  the 
Central   Government. 

Translators  and  The  Japanese  Bible  of  today  Is  the 
translations.  work  of  a  group  of  translators,  the 

earliest  and  greatest  of  whom  were  Dr.  S.  R.  Brown, 
Dr.  Hepburn,  Dr.  Green,  and  Dr.  Nathan  Brown. 
This  committee  began  its  work  in  January,  1874,  ^^^ 
worked  for  five. years  before  the  first  edition  was 
published  in  April,  1880.  Dr.  Hepburn,  one  of  the 
most  famous  of  these  men,  was  the  maker  of  the 
first  English-Japanese  dictionary.  When  he  went  to 


I20  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Japan  there  were  no  helps  in  the  study  of  the  lan- 
guage. He  had  to  depend  on  writing  down  the  sounds 
of  words  on  tablets  as  he  learned  them.  He  studied 
with  such  good  purpose  that  in  eight  years  he  was 
able  to  publish  a  superb  specimen  of  lexicography, 
the  English-Japanese  dictionary,  on  which  all  sub- 
sequent dictionaries  are  based.  The  completed  ver- 
sion of  the  New  Testament  was  published  by  the 
Committee  in  1880,  and  that  of  the  entire  Bible  in 
1888.  Separate  Gospels  and  portions  were  put  into 
circulation  as  soon  as  they  were  completed;  the  Gos- 
pel of  Mark  in  1872  and  that  of  Matthew  a  year 
later. 

The  Revision  The  rapid  progress  of  the  Japanese 

Committee  and  language  towards  standardization,  the 
Its  work.  introduction  of  new  terms  and    the 

more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  language  on  the 
part  of  the  missionaries  made  a  revised  version  seem 
desirable.  A  Committee  composed  of  Japanese  and 
missionary  members  was  chosen  in  1910.  Two  of  its 
members,  Dr.  Greene  and  Mr.  Matsuyama,  had  been 
members  of  the  original  Committee;  the  others,  both 
foreign  and  Japanese,  were  all  chosen  because  of 
their  expert  knowledge  of  one  or  more  phases  of  the 
work.  This  revision  'is  in  a  modified  classical  style 
with  archaic  forms  omitted  and  the  language  brought 
nearer  to  modern  speech,*  says  Dr.  C.  K.  Harring- 
ton, one  of  the  translators.  Since  the  difference  be- 
tween the  spoken  and  the  written  language  is  im- 
measurably greater  than  is  the  case  in  any  modern 
Western  language,  all  will  echo  Dr.  Harrington*s 
hope  that  'some  day  there  may  be  a  translation  into 
the  real  vernacular,  the  colloquial.' 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         121 

The  Bible  finds  a  The  Christians  of  Korea  are  pre- 
prepared  path.  eminently  Bible  Christians.  The  Kore- 
ans seem  to  have  had  a  wonderful  preparation  for 
the  diffusion  of  the  gospel.  Owing  to  similarities  in 
their  life  and  customs  with  conditions  pictured  in 
the  Scripture,  it  spoke  to  them  from  the  first  as  a 
native  and  not  a  foreign  book.  The  people  of  the 
Book  said,  'Peace  be  with  you'  in  their  daily  saluta- 
tions; so  did  the  Koreans.  Sacrifices  and  peace  offer- 
ings were  well  known  to  Koreans;  they  Vent  out  to 
meet  the  bridegroom*;  and  'two  women  grinding  at 
the  miir  were  no  strange  sight  to  them.  They 
could  pick  up  their  beds  and  walk;  they  saw  the  fisher- 
men mending  their  nets  and  thewinnowing  fans  on  the 
threshing  fioor.  They  had  feasts  of  the  new  moon, 
they  wore  long  robes  girt  about  with  a  fancy  girdle. 
They  put  off  their  shoes  when  they  stood  on  holy 
ground.  They  knew  about  demons  and  the  demoniacs 
and  the  helplessness  of  the  sorcerers  to  drive  out  the 
demons.  They  had  visions  and  parables  and  dreams^ 
When  the  Book  came  it  found  its  way  prepared. 
The  Korean  They  had  a  wonderful    aid,   too,  in 

Script.  their  system  of  writing  their  language. 

The  Chinese  and  Japanese  were  lumbering  along 
with  written  characters  so  complex  and  difficult  as 
virtually  to  fence  away  the  domain  of  literature  from 
the  common  people.  Four  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  years  ago  (1445  A.D.),  Korea  prepared  a  simple 
form  of  syllabic  alphabet  or  phonetic  writing  so  that, 
as  Moffatt  says,  *The  old  and  the  poor,  the  toil- 
worn,  the  prisoner,  the  hidden  wife  and  mother,  the 
slave  behind  the  mule,  the  butcher,  the  baker,  the 
hat-mender,  the  water-carrier,  the  bean-curd  ped- 


122  The  Bible  and  Missions 

dler,  the  sorcerer,  the  witch-wife,  the  less  than  no 
man,  all  might  read."  King  Sejong's  simple  alpha- 
bet, so  simple  that  the  art  of  reading  might  be  learned 
in  a  few  weeks,  lay  disused  and  despised  for  centuries 
by  the  Koreans.  Chinese  characters  were  used  for 
their  classical  literature,  while  their  own  phonetic 
writing  was  called  Un-Mun,  "the  dirty  language." 
But  when  the  Lord  Jesus  must  needs  go  through 
Korea,  he  picked  the  despised  alphabet  from  the 
dust,  saying,  'This  was  made  for  my  gospel.'  The 
miraculously  rapid  circulation  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment was  due  in  no  small  degree  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  printed  in  the  native  script.  May  it  not  be  that 
this  translation  of  the  Bible  into  Korean  will  prove  to 
be  not  only  the  means  of  preserving  the  Korean 
language,  but  also  the  model  on  which  both  Japan 
and  China  may  modify  their  antiquated  and  compli- 
cated system  of  character  writing? 
A  Korean  Bible  The  Bible  entered  Korea  in  advance 
made  in  of  the  missionary,  partly  because  it 

Manchuria.  ^^s  easier  to  smuggle  in  a  Bible  than 

a  missionary  in  the  days  when  signposts  along  the 
road  said:  **If  you  meet  a  foreigner,  kill  him;  he  who 
has  friendly  relations  with  him  is  a  traitor  to  his 
country."  These  signposts  stood  as  late  as  1880. 
It  was  in  1865,  twenty  years  before  the  coming  of  the 
missionaries,  that  the  earliest  known  attempt  was 
made  to  bring  the  Bible  into  Korea.  Mr.  Thomas,  an 
agent  of  the  National  Bible  Society  of  Scotland, 
came  bringing  Chinese  Bibles  from  Chefoo  in  a 
Korean  junk.  He  knew  that  since  Korean  scholars 
wrote  their  own  language  with  the  Chinese  charac- 
ters  they   could  read   this   Chinese   Bible.  A  year 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         123 

later  he  was  stranded  in  the  Ill-fated  Sherman,  and 
both  he  and  the  crew  were  killed  by  the  Koreans. 
In  1875  D^-  Joh^  R<^ss  and  Rev.  John  Mclntyre  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland,  work- 
ing in  Manchuria,  made  the  acquaintance  of  Koreans 
who  had  gone  to  Manchuria  on  business.  They  found 
out  that  the  Koreans  could  understand  the  Chinese 
Bible,  since  they  read  their  own  language  in  Chinese 
characters.  A  scholarly  Korean  was  engaged  to  make 
a  translation  from  the  Chinese  into  the  Un-Mun^  the 
vernacular  writing  of  Korea.  In  1882  translations  of 
the  Gospels  of  St.  Luke  and  St.  John  had  been  made 
and  published.  Work  done  by  such  an  agent  under 
such  conditions  was  bound  to  prove  imperfect;  but 
it  surely  was  under  the  direction  of  the  Great 
Strategist  that  these  two  missionaries  in  Manchuria 
were  led  to  adopt  the  Korean  rather  than  the  Chinese 
script  for  their  first  translation. 

Coiporters  Once  printed,  it  looked  hopeless  to 

smuggle  it  into  get  the  books  introduced,  since  all 
K°^^^-  foreign  religious  books  were  prohib- 

ited in  the  Hermit  Kingdom.  It  was  finally  decided 
to  make  the  Scriptures  up  into  bundles,  unbound,  and 
send  them  in  on  the  backs  of  the  coolies  who  carried 
great  bundles  of  old  official  papers  bought  up  an- 
nually in  Manchuria  by  Korean  merchants.  The 
plan  succeeded.  In  a  short  time  there  was  a  little 
company  of  disciples  among  the  merchants  of 
Weiju  in  the  northern  end  of  the  country.  Three  of 
these  early  disciples,  at  great  personal  risk,  became 
coiporters.  One  of  them.  Saw  Sang  Yun,  succeeded 
in  getting  to  Seoul  from  Mukden  with  a  few  copies 


124  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  the  Scripture.  He  was  in  Seoul  when  the  Ameri- 
can missionaries  came  in  1885. 

Another  transla-  Meanwhile,  another  attempt  to  enter 
tion  enters  from  Korea  with  a  Korean  Bible  had  been 
the  East.  made  in  Japan.  Rev.  Henry  Loomis, 

agent  of  the  American  Bible  Society  in  Yokohama, 
met  a  Korean  and  engaged  him  to  translate  the  Gos- 
pel of  Mark  into  Korean.  When  the  pioneer  mission- 
aries. Dr.  H.  G.  Underwood,  Dr.  H.  G.  Appenzeller, 
and  Dr.  W.  B.  Scranton,  passed  through  Japan  in 
1885,  a  few  copies  of  this  Gospel  of  Mark  were  given 
to  them.  It  was  the  Ross  translation,  however, 
which  was  the  real  forerunner  of  missions.  Between 
1883  and  1886  no  less  than  15,690  copies  of  this 
translation  had  been  circulated.  Saw  Sang  Yun  had 
led  the  first  Korean  congregation  to  Christ.  To  this 
day  the  Christian  church  in  Weiju,  where  no  mis- 
sionary is  resident, numbers  fifteen  hundred  believers. 
Authorized  Version  However  valuable  these  first  attempts 
of  Korean  Bible,  at  translation,  the  American  mis- 
sionaries realized  that  another  and  better  transla- 
tion must  be  made.  A  Board  of  Translators  was 
formed  in  1887.  An  authorized  version  of  the  New 
Testament  was  completed  and  published  in  1906,  six 
years  after  a  tentative  version  had  been  put  in  circu- 
lation. It  was  not  until  1910  that  the  translation  of 
all  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament  was  completed. 
The  Bible  among  Some  of  the  great  adventures  in  Bible 
the  islanders.  translation  belong  to  the  little  peo- 

ples. The  Gilbert  Islanders,  for  example,  clinging  to 
their  low-lying  coral  reefs,  had  the  lifetime  of  a 
Christian  hero  given  in  their  behalf,  in  the  endeavor 
to  give  them   the  Bible.  Hiram  Bingham,  Jr.,  son 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         125 

of  that  Hiram  Bingham  who  brought  the  Gospel 
to  the  Hawaiian  Islanders,  lived  on  the  Gilbert 
Islands,  reduced  the  language  to  writing,  made  a 
grammar  and  dictionary,  and  after  years  of  toil 
translated  the  Bible.  His  manuscript,  the  fruit  of 
a  lifetime,  was  lost  at  sea  on  its  way  to  America  to 
be  published.  Although  his  health  was  shattered  so 
that  he  could  no  longer  continue  to  live  in  the  Gil- 
bert Islands,  Mr.  Bingham,  while  living  in  Hawaii, 
patiently  renewed  his  labors  to  retranslate  the  whole. 
On  all  the  Pacific  Islands  there  are  similar  stories 
of  peoples  sunk  in  degradation,  and  of  the  coming 
of  the  missionaries  bringing  the  Book.  It  was  in 
Aneityum,  one  of  the  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
that  John  Geddie  of  Nova  Scotia  began  in  1848  to 
learn  the  language  of  the  fierce  savages  who  inhabited 
the  island.  He  reduced  their  language  to  writing, 
prepared  school  books,  taught  the  people  to  read, 
translated  the  Bible  for  them.  When  he  died,  worn 
out  after  twenty-four  years  of  service,  a  bronze 
tablet  was  placed  in  his  memory  in  a  church  seating 
one  thousand  worshippers : 

"When  he  landed  in  1848,  there  were  no  Christians  here; 
When  he  left  in  1872,  there  were  no  heathen." 

The  people  were  so  overjoyed  at  the  thought  of  hav- 
ing the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue  that  they  contributed 
$5,000  for  printing  it.  These  same  islanders  gave  the 
entire  product  of  their  cocoanut  trees  for  six  months 
to  roof  two  churches,  and  sent  out  and  paid  more  than 
fifty  of  their  own  members  who  went  carrying  their 
Bible  as  missionaries  to  heathen  islands. 
Henry  Nott  of  One  of  the  master  translators  of  the 
Tahiti.  South  Sea  Islands  was  Henry  Nott 


126  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  Tahiti.  He  gave  twenty  years  of  his  life,  amid 
circumstances  full  of  horror  and  suffering,  to  the 
study  of  the  language.  He  tamed  it,  cleared  out  its 
dense  thickets  of  savage  thought,  discovered  its 
hidden  symmetries  and  beauties,  and  after  he  felt 
himself  master  gave  another  twenty  years  of  a  great 
life  to  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures. 
John  Williams  of  When  John  Williams  later  began  his 
Raratonga.  cruises  of  ChHstianization,  he  trans- 

lated the  New  Testament  into  Raratongan,  a  closely 
allied  dialect.  He  spent  four  years  in  England  per- 
fecting his  translation  and  seeing  it  through  the  press. 
When  he  returned  to  Raratonga  with  his  big  boxes 
of  books, — five  thousand  of  them, — the  people 
crowded  around  to  secure  the  priceless  treasures. 
"Every  one  was  eager  to  buy  a  copy,'*  John  Wil- 
liams says,  "One  man,  as  he  secured  his,  hugged  the 
book  in  ecstasy;  another  and  another  kissed  it;  others 
held  them  up  and  waved  them  in  the  air.  Some  sprang 
away  like  a  dart,  and  did  not  stop  till  they  entered 
their  own  dwellings,  and  exhibited  their  treasures  to 
their  wives  and  children,  while  others  jumped  and 
capered  about  like  persons  half  frantic  with  joy.'* 
John  G.  Paton  John  G.  Paton,  translator  of  the  New 
of  Aniwa.  Testament  into  Aniwan,  one  of  the 

many  languages  of  the  New  Hebrides,  tells  of  the 
joy  which  the  first  book  gave  to  the  Chief  Namekei; 
"Is  it  done .'^  Can  it  speak?"  asked  Namekei  ex- 
citedly. "Make  it  speak  to  me!  Let  me  hear  it 
speak."  When  part  of  the  book  was  read  to  him, 
he  shouted  in  an  ecstasy  of  joy,  "It  does  speak!  It 
speaks  my  own  language,  too!  Oh,  give  it  to  me!" 
He  grasped  it  hurriedly,  opened  and  then  closed  it 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         127 

with  a  look  of  disappointment,  and  said,  "I  can  not 
make  it  speak!  It  will  never  speak  to  me."  But  it 
did,  for  the  old  Chief  with  painful  persistence  learned 
to  read,  and  as  children  and  strangers  gathered  round 
him  he  would  produce  his  prized  book  and  say, 
"Come,  I  will  let  you  hear  how  the  book  speaks  our 
own  Aniwan  words." 

The  Bible  in  Sav-  Time  would  fail  to  tell  of  two  broth- 
age  Island  and  ers,  W.  G.  Lawes  and  F.  E.  Lawes, 
New  Guinea.  ^ho  gave  thirty-six  years  of  their 
lives  to  clear  a  path  for  the  Book  into  the  minds 
of  the  men  of  Savage  Island;  or  of  the  seven  years 
given  by  this  same  W.  G.  Lawes  to  complete  and  re- 
vise the  New  Testament  translated  by  James  Chal- 
mers into  the  speech  of  one  of  the  tribes  of  New 
Guinea,  for  men  of  the  Stone  Age. 
Searching  for  a  The  translator  of  the  New  Testa- 
name  for  God.  ment  into  Toaripi,  one  of  the  lan- 
guages spoken  in  Southern  New  Guinea,  Rev.  E.  Pryce 
Jones,  tells  of  the  difficulty  he  had  to  find  a  word  for 
God  that  would  convey  the  Christian  idea  to  people 
still  in  the  stage  of  totem  worship.  He  could  find  the 
names  of  the  different  spirits  who  made  the  pig,  the 
crocodile,  or  the  crab,  but  all  his  searching  failed  to 
find  any  higher  idea.  One  day  when  he  was  working 
with  a  native  and  asking  him  questions  the  man  said, 

**Ualare  knows  that." 

"Who  is  Ualare.?"  asked  the  missionary  quickly, 
hoping  that  perhaps  he  was  at  last  on  the  trail. 

"Ualare  is  the  spirit  who  made  the  mountains,  and 
out  of  whom  the  world  came,"  said  the  man. 

Today  the  Papuan  reads  in  his  New  Testament, 
"Ualare  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 


128  The  Bible  and  Missions 

begotten  Son,"  and  slowly  builds  up  his  idea  of  a 
great  Father  God. 

Christianity  comes  The  island  of  Madagascar,  on  the  other 
to  Madagascar,  side  of  the  world  from  these  small, 
smiling  lands  circled  about  with  silver  seas,  has  been 
the  scene  of  one  of  the  greatest  victories  of  the  Bible 
translator.  Madagascar  is  next  to  New  Guinea  the 
largest  island  in  the  world.  Between  four  and  five 
million  people  live  on  this  rich  island.  They  built 
comfortable  homes,  were  decently  clad,  often  in 
garments  made  of  the  silk  they  spun  and  wove  so 
cunningly.  They  spun  cotton,  too,  and  hemp,  and 
knew  how  to  work  iron  so  as  to  make  their  spears 
and  spades.  Some  of  their  towns  were  surrounded 
by  walls  and  moats.  Their  government  was  an  ab- 
solute despotism.  The  slave  trade  cursed  them. 
Although  having  considerable  beginnings  of  civili- 
zation, they  had  no  written  language  and  their 
moral  condition  was  exceedingly  low.  In  1818  the 
London  Missionary  Society  sent  two  missionaries 
and  their  families.  In  six  weeks  all  except  one.  Rev. 
David  Jones,  were  dead.  He  escaped  to  Mauritius, 
tortured  with  fever.  In  1820  he  re-entered  the  coun- 
try; other  missionaries  joined  him,  and  the  task  of 
hewing  out  a  vocabulary  and  grammar  of  the  lan- 
guage began.  Schools  were  opened.  King  Radama 
sent  ten  picked  youths  to  England  to  be  educated. 
The  schools  in  Madagascar  grew  mightily.  In  1828 
the  Gospel  of  Luke  was  published.  In  that  same  year 
the  wise  king  died  and  a  reign  of  terror  ensued,  set 
up  by  rival  claimants  to  the  throne.  All  schools  were 
closed,  so  that  the  missionaries  were  shut  up  to  the 
one  work  of  Bible  translation.  The  printing  press  had 


EviRv  Man  in  Hh  Own  Tongue         129 

already  been  set  up  by  the  missionaries.  By  1830 
five  thousand  copies  of  the  complete  New  Testament 
were  printed.  Then  came  edicts  allowing  the  reopen-  / 
ing  of  the  schools,  and  the  very  next  year  the  first 
converts  were  baptized  and  the  Church  began  to 
grow  in  apostolic  fashion. 

Ranavaiona  Then    began    the    opposition    which 

begins  the  great  later  was  to  develop  into  ruthless 
persecution.  persecution.  Ranavaiona,  the  Queen, 

became  the  bitter  enemy  of  the  new  religion.  On 
March  first,  1835,  ^  decree  went  forth  that  all  who 
met  for  prayer  and  worship  must  confess  it  within 
a  month.  In  swift  succession  came  decrees  ordering 
the  giving  up  and  burning  of  all  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. The  missionaries  were  then  driven  out  and  the 
full  fury  of  the  storm  broke  on  the  infant  church. 
The  missionaries,  before  going,  buried  their  boxes 
of  Bibles,  Testaments,  and  The  Pilgrim ' s  Progress,  to 
await  their  return  and  the  dawn  of  better  days. 
Well  that  they  did  not  dream  that  twenty-six  years 
were  to  pass  before  the  mission  stations  could  again 
be  opened.  During  that  time  no  devilish  refinement 
of  torture  was  missing  in  the  sufferings  meted  out 
to  the  Malagasy  Christians.  The  only  legacy  which 
the  missionaries  had  been  able  to  leave  to  their 
sorely  tried  converts  was  the  books  which  they  had 
printed.  Since  these  books  were  the  only  ones  in  the 
language,  they  had  been  read  without  distraction 
by  all  classes  of  the  people.  On  the  New  Testament 
and  The  Pilgrim's  Progress,  the  Christians  were  to 
feed  their  souls  during  the  black  years  of  persecution 
that  followed. 


130  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Another  eleventh  There  are  no  more  glorious  annals  in 
chapter  of  the  history  of  Christianity  than  those 

Hebrews.  of  Madagascar.  All  the  Bibles  which 

could  be  found  were  burned,  but  copies  were  secreted 
in  hollow  trees,  in  caves,  in  the  rafters  of  houses. 
Rough  copies  were  made  by  hand  and  passed  secretly 
from  disciple  to  disciple.  When  the  years  of  agony 
were  over,  some  of  these  precious  tear-stained,  blood- 
stained copies,  worn  thin  from  much  handling,  mend- 
ed again  and  again,  were  recovered,  and  may  now  be 
seen  in  the  archives  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society.  Those  who  refused  to  worship  the  idols  and 
boldly  confessed  their  belief  in  Christ  were  sold  as 
slaves,  forced  to  toil  in  chains,  driven  out  into  the 
forests,  thrown  over  cliffs  into  the  sea,  suspended 
head  downward  in  the  rice  pits  and  boiling  water 
poured  over  them,  burned  alive,  dismembered. 
Nobles  saw  their  families  scattered  and  reduced  to 
slavery,  their  estates  confiscated,  themselves  reduced 
to  the  ranks  of  the  common  soldiers  and  put  to  hard 
labor.  This  went  on  for  year  after  year,  yet  still 
the  faith  grew  and  spread,  irresistible,  unquenchable. 
End  of  Reign  When  the  reign  of  terror  had  ended 
of  Terror.  and  the  first  consignment  of  Bibles, 

long  stored  in  Mauritius  in  anticipation  of  the  day  of 
the  gospel's  re-entrance,  arrived  at  the  capital,  so 
vast  a  crowd  pressed  forward  to  buy  the  books  that 
the  doors  of  the  storehouse  had  to  be  closed,  a  line 
formed,  and  the  Bibles  passed  out  through  the  win- 
dow to  the  waiting  purchasers. 

The  Book  that  What  shall  we  say  of  a  Book  that  can 
sets  men  free.  beget  such  heroism?  Does  it  need 
other  credentials  that  it  is  God's  best  gift  to  Man.^* 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         131 

When  the  missionaries  had  been  driven  out,  there 
were  about  fifteen  hundred  Christians.  When  they 
were  allowed  to  return,  there  were  seven  thousand. 
During  the  twenty-six  years  ten  thousand  people  had 
been  sentenced  to  death  or  slavery  or  exile.  What  was 
the  power  which  had  sustained  these  new  believers, 
fresh  from  heathen  and  debasing  customs.^  The  Book 
whose  mere  introduction  could  arouse  such  devotion 
may  well  be  called  the  Charter  of  Man's  Freedom. 
The  Bible  In  i868,when  Queen  Ranavalona  II. 

enthroned.  was    crowned,    the    royal    seat    was 

erected  under  a  canopy  on  each  side  of  which  was 
emblazoned  a  quotation  from  the  Bible: ''Glory  to 
God";  "Good  will  among  men";  *'0n  earth  Peace"; 
*'God  be  with  us."  In  front  of  the  queen  were  two 
tables,  on  one  of  them  the  crown  of  Madagascar,  on 
the  other,  the  Bible. 

The  Bible  The   Dark   Continent   has   been   the 

in  Africa.  scene  of  many  triumphs  of  the  trans- 

lator. Africa  is  the  true  Tower  of  Babel.  Here  are 
843  varieties  of  human  speech,  almost  all  of  them  to 
be  reduced  to  written  form,  most  of  them  spoken 
by  savage  tribes  living  under  conditions  almost  in- 
supportable by  white  men.  Yet  into  this  darkness 
men  have  gone,  and  there  they  have  lived  and  worked 
to  bring  the  Book  of  God  to  the  people.  The  mis- 
sionaries have  made  dictionaries  and  grammars  and 
school  books  and  translated  the  Bible  into  one  hun- 
dred different  languages;  but  there  remain  443  dis- 
tinct languages  and  300  dialects  not  yet  reduced  to 
writing.  If  Africa  is  transferred  from  a  liability  into 
an  asset,  it  will  be  because  the  Africans  receive  the 
Christian  Bible. 


132  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Pilkington  of  It  Will  be  impossible  to  mention  more 
Uganda.  than  one  or  two  of  these  translators. 

George  Lawrence  Pilkington  of  Uganda  is  one  of  the 
most  gifted  in  any  land.  Such  was  his  facility  in  the 
acquisition  of  language  that  he  learned  the  language 
on  his  way  up  from  Zanzibar  so  that  he  was  able  to 
converse  as  soon  as  he  reached  his  field.  Within  five 
years  after  reaching  Uganda,  Pilkington  carried  back 
to  his  home  in  Ireland  the  manuscript  of  the  entire 
New  Testament  and  a  large  part  of  the  Old  for  final 
revision  and  printing.  Although  so  rapid,  his  work 
was  exceedingly  careful  and  scholarly. 
Eliot's  Bible  for  The  story  of  the  Bible  among  the 
the  Indians.  North  American   Indians   must   not 

be  passed  over.  The  first  American  translation  of 
the  Bible  was  that  made  by  John  Eliot  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Mohicans  of  New  England.  It  was  only 
fifty  years  after  the  publication  of  the  King  James 
Version  of  the  English  Bible  that  John  Eliot's  trans- 
lation of  the  New  Testament  was  printed  in  1661, 
and  two  years  later  that  of  the  Old  Testament.  The 
Indian  tribes  for  whom  the  Book  was  translated  have 
long  since  vanished,  their  very  language  is  forgotten 
so  that  no  one  living  can  read  one  of  the  cherished 
copies  of  the  beautifully  printed  Bible;  but  Eliot's 
work  remains,  as  does  his  word  inscribed  at  the  end  of 
his  Indian  Grammar,  ''Prayer  and  pains,  through 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  will  do  anything."  Translations 
of  portions  of  the  Bible  were  early  made  into  the 
language  of  the  Delawares,  the  Mohawks,  the  Sene- 
cas,  and  the  Chippewas. 

"The  White  Man's  The  story  of  the  search  for  the  Bible 
Book  of  Heaven."   on  the  part  of  the  Nez-Perces  Indians 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         133 

of  Idaho  is  one  of  the  most  stirring  in  the  annals  of 
missions.  In  their  far  fastnesses  the  tribe  had 
heard  about  a  Book  of  Heaven  through  which  the 
white  man  became  wise  and  strong.  In  a  great 
council  the  tribe  set  apart  four  chiefs  to  go  to  the 
distant  white  man's  country  and  bring  back  the  Book. 
It  was  in  1831  that  these  four  men  made  their  way 
over  the  desolate  mountains,  the  vast  prairies,  the 
swift  rivers,  and  came  to  St.  Louis,  a  rough,  roy- 
stering  frontier  town,  asking, 

**Where  is  the  white  man's  Book  of  Heaven  ?" 
They  met  ridicule  and  indifference  until  Gen- 
eral Clark  learned  of  their  errand  and  befriend- 
ed them.  Two  of  the  Indians  fell  ill  and  died. 
Before  the  others  started  on  their  long  homeward 
journey  a  big  dinner  was  given  in  their  honor,  at 
which  the  officers  at  the  fort  and  the  leading  citi- 
zens were  present. 

The  Oregon  Although    the   Indians    in    far-away 

Trail.  Idaho  who  waited  month  after  month 

for  the  return  of  their  emissaries  with  the  Book 
waited  in  vain,  yet  this  appeal  did  reach  the  hearts 
of  the  white  people.  As  a  result  the  first  Protestant 
Mission  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  es- 
tablished, Jason  Lee  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  becoming  the  pioneer.  Marcus  Whitman  and 
Henry  H.  Spalding,  with  their  brides,  began  a  honey- 
moon journey  lasting  seven  months  to  the  far  North 
West.  Greater  issues,  too,  hung  upon  their  mission 
than  the  Indian  Chiefs  who  made  the  perilous 
journey  could  dream.  On  the  fact  that  these  Ameri- 
can missionaries  with  wagons,  household  goods,  and 
families  had  actually  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains 


134  The  Bible  and  Missions 

depended  very  largely  Americans  claim  to  the  Oregon 
Country.  After  long,  long  delays  the  Nez-Perces 
actually  got  "The  Book  that  makes  the  trail  plain," 
printed  in  their  own  language  by  the  American  Bible 
Society  in  1871. 

The  Dakota  The   greatest    Indian    translation    is 

Bible.  that  into  the  language  of  the  Sioux 

of  the  Plains,  the  Dakotas.  Two  men,  Rev.  Thomas 
E.  Williamson  and  Dr.  Stephen  Riggs,  gave  forty 
years  of  life  to  this  task.  Their  joint  work  was  re- 
vised by  Dr.  Williamson's  son,  the  Rev.  John  P. 
Williamson.  Dr.  Riggs's  autobiography,  Mary  and 
/,  or  Forty  Years  among  the  Sioux ^  is  a  moving  and 
glorious  record. 

The  Navaho  The  most  recent  translation  of  the 

Bible.  Bible  into  an  Indian  tongue  is  the 

Navaho.  This  numerous  tribe  living  in  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico  has  waited  all  these  years  for  the  white 
people  to  give  them  the  Book.  Three  men,  Rev. 
L.  P.  Brink,  Rev.  F.  G.  Mitchell,  and  Rev.  John 
Butler,  have  collaborated  in  the  work  of  transla- 
tion. 

An  Indian  invents  The  Cherokee  Scriptures  are  notable 
an  alphabet.  not  SO  much  because  of  the  transla- 

tion as  because  they  are  printed  in  an  alphabet  in- 
vented by  a  Cherokee  Indian,  a  half-breed,  whose 
Indian  name  was  Sequoya.  Although  illiterate  him- 
self, he  realized  that  the  power  of  the  white  people 
was  bound  up  in  their  books.  He  studied  to  see  if  he 
could  supply  the  need  of  his  own  people.  He  made 
symbols  on  birch  bark,  and  in  some  way  got  the  idea 
of  making  symbols  represent  the  sounds  of  the 
Cherokee   language.    After    two  years'  work   he  in- 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         135 

vented  an  alphabet  consisting  of  eighty-four  letters. 
This  alphabet  was  adopted  by  the  legislature  of  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  and  a  newspaper  was  published 
in  it.  The  missionaries  adopted  it  for  the  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible,  as  by  means  of  this  alphabet  it  was 
possible  to  represent  the  sounds  of  the  Cherokee 
language  more  perfectly  than  by  the  English  alpha- 
bet. In  1 83 1  the  American  Bible  Society  began  the 
printing  of  the  Cherokee  New  Testament  and  a 
large  part  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  State  of  Okla- 
homa has  recently  presented  to  the  Government  a 
statue  of  Sequoya  to  be  placed  in  the  Capitol  at 
Washington. 

The  Indian's  Twenty-third  Psalm 

The  Indian  language  is  not  easily  subject  to  translation  and  in 
their  intercourse  with  one  another  the  various  tribes  use  a  sign 
language,  more  or  less  universal,  which  they  have  evolved.  The 
following  is  a  translation  of  the  twenty-third  Psalm  which  can 
easily  be  interpreted  by  this  sign  language: 

The  Great  Father  above  is  a  Shepherd  Chief.  I  am  His,  and 
with  Him  I  want  not. 

He  throws  out  to  me  a  rope,  and  the  name  of  the  rope  is  Love, 
and  He  draws  me,  and  He  draws  me,  and  He  draws  me  to  where 
the  grass  is  green  and  the  water  not  dangerous,  and  I  eat  and  lie 
down  satisfied. 

Sometimes  my  heart  is  very  weak  and  falls  down,  but  He  lifts 
it  up  again  and  draws  me  into  a  good  road.  His  name  is  Wonder- 
ful. 

Some  time,  It  may  be  very  soon,  It  may  be  longer,  It  may  be 
a  long,  long  time,  He  will  draw  me  into  a  place  between  moun- 
tains. It  is  dark  there,  but  I'll  draw  back  not.  I'll  be  afraid  not, 
for  it  is  in  there  between  these  mountains  that  the  Shepherd 
Chief  will  meet  me,  and  the  hunger  I  have  felt  in  my  heart  all 
through  this  life  will  be  satisfied.  Sometimes  He  makes  the  love 
rope  into  a  whip,  but  afterwards  He  gives  me  a  staff  to  lean  on. 


136  The  Bible  and  Missions 

He  spreads  a  table  before  me  with  all  kinds  of  food.  He  puts 
His  hands  upon  my  head,  and  all  the  "tired"  is  gone.  My  cup  He 
fills  till  it  runs  over. 

What  I  tell  you  is  true,  I  lie  not.  These  roads  that  are  "away 
ahead"  will  stay  with  me  through  this  life,  and  afterward  I  will 
go  to  live  in  the  "Big  Tepee"  and  sit  down  with  the  Shepherd 
Chief  forever. 

Arabic,  sacred  The  Bible  has  been  made  accessible 
language  of  through  translation  to  Moslem  pop- 

Moslems,  ulations  numbering  200,000,000.  All 

of  these  revere  one  sacred  language,  the  Arabic,  in 
which  the  Koran  was  written  by  verbal  inspiration, 
as  they  believe.  So  great  is  their  reverence  for  the 
very  word  of  Scripture  that  they  discourage  any 
translation  of  the  Koran,  which  is  read  in  its  original 
Arabic  wherever  there  is  a  Mosque,  and  forms  the 
basis  of  education  wherever  there  is  a  Moslem  school. 
A  well-known  Moslem  lawyer  in  Lahore,  India,  in 
addressing  his  coreligionists  said  recently,  "The  rea- 
son why  Christians  succeed  is  because  wherever 
they  go  they  have  the  Bible  and  say  their  prayers  in 
their  mother  tongue;  whereas  we  have  wrapped  up 
our  religion  in  an  Arabic  dress.  We  ought  to  give  the 
people  the  Koran  in  their  own  tongue."  His  only 
answer  was,  **Thou  art  an  unbeliever  thyself,  to  say 
such  things." 

Translation  of  The  importance  of  an  Arabic  version 
Arabic  Bible.  of  the  Bible  becomes  apparent  when 
we  consider  the  fanatical  devotion  to  Arabic  through- 
out the  whole  Moslem  world  scattered  over  Asia  and 
Africa.  This  need  was  met  by  a  wonderful  transla- 
tion into  Classical  Arabic  to  which  Rev.  Cornelius 
VanDyke  and  Rev.  Eli  Smith  gave  sixteen  years  of 
life.  Their  translation  ranks  among  the  very  greatest 


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SURPRISING  AND  SIGNIFICANT  LETTERS 
FROM  CHINA 


Every  Man  in  His  Own  Tongue         137 

in  its  felicity  and  strength;  its  pure  Arabic  style 
makes  it  a  delight  to  the  reader  of  Arabic  litera- 
ture. Not  content  with  this  version  in  high  Arabic, 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  has  made  trans- 
lations into  the  colloquial  Arabic  spoken  in  the 
various  countries  of  the  Near  East. 
Other  Moslem  The  Moslem  World  devoted  to  a 
Versions.  Book  must  be  won  by  a  greater  Book. 

To  the  winning  of  peoples  who  profess  this  most 
powerful  religion  now  opposing  Christianity  the  no- 
ble army  of  translators  has  contributed  much. 
The  Turkish  Bible  of  Schauffler  was  the  work  of 
fourteen  years.  These  two  chief  versions,  the  Arabic 
and  the  Turkish,  are  supplemented  by  ten  others  in 
the  chief  languages  of  the  Levant,  and  in  thirty 
dialects.  Furthermore,  the  Turkish  Bible  is  printed 
also  in  the  Arabic,  the  Armenian,  or  the  Greek  char- 
acters for  those  who  read  Turkish  in  those  alphabets. 
A  superb  The    translation    of    the    Bible    has 

achievement.  been   perhaps   the  most   fruitful   ac- 

complishment of  the  nineteenth  century.  Until  the 
Scriptures  were  made  accessible  to  the  great  bulk  of 
mankind  in  their  mother  tongue,  there  could  be  no 
wide  expansion  of  Christianity.  While  there  are  mul- 
titudes belonging  to  the  smaller  and  more  scattered 
peoples  who  are  still  without  a  Bible,  the  great 
racial  and  national  divisions  have  all  had  the  Scrip- 
tures translated  into  their  own  language.  While 
other  faiths  have  remained  more  or  less  quiescent, 
permitting  their  sacred  books,  if  translated  at  all, 
to  be  translated  by  others  for  the  purposes  of  com- 
parative study  of  religion.  Christians  have  boldly, 
persistently,    with    superb    courage    and    devotion. 


138  The  Bible  and  Missions 

laid  down  life  itself  in  the  struggle  to  put  the  Bible 
into  the  speech  of  every  tongue  and  tribe  and  nation. 
The  first  campaign  is  won. 

Strategy  of  Bible  Into  all  these  lands  the  Bible  has 
translation.  found  entrance  through  the  labor  of 

the  translators.  As  battles  are  won  not  solely  or  even 
chiefly  by  the  armies  who  struggle  with  shot  and 
shell  in  the  front  line,  but  by  the  makers  of  muni- 
tions and  by  the  strategists  who,  far  back,  are  di- 
recting the  campaign,  so  Christianity's  World 
Campaign  depends  upon  these  missionaries  who  are 
translating  the  Bible  into  living  languages.  Wher- 
ever it  goes  the  Book  carries  its  credentials.  It  speaks 
one  message  to  the  one  heart  of  mankind.  As  a 
Greek  Christian  phrased  it  in  his  letter  to  the  Bible 
House,  in  broken  English  but  no  doubtful  meaning, 
"The  gabs  are  many,  but  the  ghost  is  one.'* 


OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  IV. 


aim:  To  show  how  the  work  of  the  National  Bible  Societies 
has  powerfully  furthered  the  missionary  movement  by  fi- 
nancing translations,  and  publishing  and  distributing  Bibles. 

I.  HISTORICAL   SKETCH   OF  THE   NATIONAL   BIBLE   SOCIETIES. 

I.     The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

a.  Circumstances  surrounding  its  organization. 

b.  Its  charter,  activities,  rapid  development. 

1.     Continental  Bible  Societies. 

a.  Fostered  by  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

b.  Some  short-lived. 

c.  Most  of  them  doing  little  missionary  translation. 

3.  The  National  Bible  Society  of  Scotland, 

4.  The  American  Bible  Society, 

a.  Its  organization. 

b.  Distinguished  support. 

c.  Bible  publication  endorsed  by  Congress. 

II.  WORK  OF  THE  NATIONAL   BIBLE   SOCIETIES. 

I.     Common  principles  and  policies. 
1.     Selling  Bibles  or  giving  them. 

3.  Promoting    and    financing    of   Bible    translations    and 
publications. 

4.  Enormous  and  continuous  sale  of  the  Bible. 

5.  Comparison  of  Bible  sales  with  others. 

III.  THE  AGENT  OF  THE  BIBLE  SOCIETIES, 

I.     The  Colporter  ubiquitous. 

1.     The  Colporter  from  every  race. 

3.     The  Colporter  of  true  heroic  stuff. 


140  The  Bible  and  Missions 

IV.  THE    FRUITS   OF    BIBLE    DISTRIBUTION. 

1.  In  a  Navaho  hogan. 

2.  In  Japanese  prisons. 

3.  In  a  Korean  prison. 

4.  In  a  Chinese  philanthropist. 

5.  In  an  Indian /^^/V. 

V.  MINISTRY   OF    THE    BIBLE    SOCIETIES   TO    THE     SOLDIERS   AND 
SAILORS. 

1.  Enormous  number  distributed;  wide-spread  contribu- 
tions to  the  fund;  approval  of  military  leaders,  apprecia- 
tion of  the  boys. 

2.  The  Pocket  Testament  League,  its  story. 

3.  Fruit  of  Bible  work  among  soldiers. 

VI.  DUTIES  TOWARD  THE  BIBLE  SOCIETIES. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  TRAVELS  OF  THE   BOOK 

"It  is  the  great  destiny  of  England  and  America  to  carry  the  Bible  to  the 
earth's  remotest  bounds."  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Choate. 


The  Rise  of  the  In  chapter  three  we  have  studied  the 
Bible  Societies.  ^Qj-k  of  Bible  translators  in  aid  of  the 
worldwide  diffusion  of  the  Christian  message.  In 
chapter  four  we  shall  consider  the  history  and  ac- 
tivities of  the  great  organizations  through  which  the 
distribution  of  the  manifold  translations  has  been 
made  possible.  In  reality  these  two  agencies,  the 
translators  and  the  Bible  Societies,  are  contempo- 
rary with  the  rise  and  development  of  a  third  agency, 
the  Mission  Boards  and  Societies.  It  seemed  expe- 
dient in  the  interests  of  clearness  to  consider  them 
separately. 

Bibles  expensive  In  the  Opening  years  of  the  nineteenth 
and  scarce  in  1800.  century  Bibles  Were  comparatively 
few  and  very  expensive.  Outside  America  and  the 
Protestant  nations  of  Europe  they  were  almost  un- 
obtainable by  the  laity.  Even  in  Scotland  among 
the  Highlanders,  most  of  whom  at  that  time  under- 
stood no  language  but  the  Gaelic,  the  scarcity  of  the 
Scriptures  was  extreme.  Not  only  were  the  books 
very  few  and  hard  to  obtain,  but  the  price,  twenty- 
five  shillings  (J6.25),put  them  beyond  the  reach  of 
any  except  the  wealthy.  In  Ireland,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  five  and  a  quarter  millions,  there  were  very 
few  places  outside  the  capital  where  a  Bible  could 
be  purchased  at  any  price.  In  the  Island  of  Jersey 


142  The  Bible  and  Missions 

old,  second-hand  family  Bibles  sold  for  £4.  In  the 
United  States  an  equal  destitution  existed  in  the 
supply  of  Bibles  both  among  the  older  settlers  and 
among  the  pioneers  on  the  frontiers,  as  was  proved  by 
the  extensive  investigations  made  by  Samuel  J. 
Mills  in  two  journeys  taken  by  him  in  18 12  and  18 13. 
Education  and  in-  The  invention  of  printing  had  made 
vention  democra-  possible  a  Very  great  extension  in  the 
tize  the  Scriptures,  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  but  the 
full  eflFects  of  this  miracle-working  invention  waited 
on  two  things;  the  diffusion  of  popular  education  and 
the  perfecting  of  mechanical  processes  by  which 
the  cost  of  printing  was  greatly  reduced.  We  do  not 
often  consider  at  how  comparatively  recent  a  day 
the  public  school  system  democratized  the  ability 
to  read,  and  the  power  press  and  other  inventions 
put  books  within  the  means  of  the  great  mass  of  men. 
What  Mary  Jones  It  was  on  March  7,  1804,  that  the 
helped  to  start.  oldest  of  the  National  Bible  Societies, 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  was  founded 
at  the  London  Tavern  in  the  presence  of  about  three 
hundred  people.  An  incident  that  had  been  influen- 
tial in  bringing  about  its  founding  was  the  search 
of  a  little  Welsh  girl  for  a  Bible.  The  Rev.  Thomas 
Charles  of  Bala  had  told  her  story  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Committee  of  the  Religious  Tract  Society  one 
cold  December  morning  in  1 802.  It  seemed  that  there 
lived  in  a  valley  under  Caderldris,  in  the  parish  of 
Llanfihangel,  a  young  Welsh  girl  named  Mary  Jones. 
She  dearly  loved  the  Bible,  but  the  only  chance  she 
had  to  read  it  was  by  walking  two  miles  to  the  house 
of  a  relative.  She  had  formed  a  great  resolution  to 
save  enough  money  to  buy  a  Bible  of  her  own.  For 


The  Travels  of  the  Book.  143 

years  she  had  been  hoarding  up  her  chance  pennies 
until  when  she  was  sixteen  years  old  she  found  she 
had  the  price  of  a  Bible  in  her  hands. 
Mary  gets  her        She  Started  out  happily  to  walk  the 
Bible.  twenty-eight  miles  to  the  only  place 

she  knew  where  Bibles  were  sold.  Her  way  lay  along 
difficult  and  lonely  paths  through  the  mountains  from 
Llanfihangel  to  Bala.  When  she  reached  Bala,  tired 
and  hungry,  but  happy  in  the  accomplishment  of  her 
long-cherished  purpKDse,  she  found  that  Mr.  Charles, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  depository,  had  sold  the 
last  copy  he  had.  Strangely  stirred  by  the  child's 
tears  and  the  revelation  of  her  spiritual  hunger,  Mr. 
Charles  gave  her  the  only  copy  he  had,  one  which  had 
been  laid  aside  on  order  of  one  of  his  friends.  Fatigue 
and  hunger  were  forgotten,  as,  tightly  holding  the 
Book  in  her  hands,  Mary  Jones  hastened  to  walk  the 
long  miles  between  her  and  home. 
Why  not  for  When  Mr.  Charles  had  finished  his 

the  World?  story  with  an  appeal  for  the  publica- 

tion of  a  new  edition  of  the  Welsh  Bible,  Rev.  Joseph 
Hughes,  minister  of  the  Baptist  congregation  at 
Battersea  and  Secretary  of  the  Committee,  said  in 
words  that  have  become  historic, 

"Surely  a  society  might  be  formed  for  the  purpose.  But  if 
for  Wales,  why  not  for  the  Kingdom?  Why  not  for  the  world?" 

The  British  and  The  proposition  took  fire.  Week  by 
Foreign  Bible  week  it  was  discusscd  in  churches  and 
Society  organized,  newspapers.  Mr.  Hughes  wrote  an 
essay  with  the  sort  of  ponderous  title  so  dearly  be- 
loved in  those  days,  'The  Excellency  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures; an  Argument  for  their  more  general  Dispersion, 
In    this   widely  circulated    pamphlet    Mr.    Hughes 


144  T^^  Bible  and  Missions 

appealed  to  the  public  to  assist  in  founding  ''the  first 
institution  that  ever  emanated  from  one  nation  for 
the  good  of  all."  Other  meetings  were  held  in  the 
hospitable  counting  house  of  Mr.  Joseph  Hardcastle 
at  Old  Swan  Stairs,  in  which  the  proposition  was 
debated  again  and  again,  and  a  code  of  regulations 
gradually  took  shape  which  later  became  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 
The  name  was  the  happy  suggestion  of  Joseph 
Hughes. 

Difficulties  and  There  were,  of  course,  much  opposi- 
obstacies.  tion  and  many  obstacles.  Old  General 

Conservatism,  backed  by  his  doughty  lieutenants. 
Indifference  and  Sectarianism,  did  all  he  could  to 
put  down  such  an  unprecedented  enterprise.  Added 
to  the  usual  opposition  which  any  new  project  must 
overcome,  there  were  the  formidable  obstacles  which 
the  condition  of  the  times  presented.  England  was 
fighting  for  her  life  with  Napoleon,  who  was  confi- 
dently waiting  for  his  'six  hours'  mastery  of  the 
channel.  Yet  in  such  a  time  the  Society  was  born. 

Stormy  times  no  Troublous  times  have  no  terrors  for 
bar  to  missions,  the  missionary  enterprise.  Like  a 
stormy  petrel  it  rides  the  waves.  When  Europe  was 
convulsed  with  the  French  Revolution,  William 
Carey  launched  the  modern  enterprise  of  foreign 
missions.  The  first  American  Societies  were  founded 
during  the  period  of  the  war  of  1812;  the  Women's 
Boards  of  Foreign  Missions,  during,  and  immediately 
after,  the  Civil  War  of  1861.  During  the  last  great 
war  missionary  societies  have  found  a  new  response 
to  their  cause  in  many  countries. 


The  Travels  or  the  Book  145 

Charter  of  the  The  Catholicity  of  the  Constitution 
British  and  Foreign  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
Bible  Society.  ciety  is  the  more  remarkable  in  that 
it  was  made  during  a  period  of  bitter  sectarian  con- 
flicts between  Churchmen  and  Nonconformists. 
Christians  of  all  communions  united  in  its  formation. 
The  Constitution  then  adopted  is  virtually  that  of 
the  present  day.  The  Society  was  to  limit  its  work 
to  the  printing  and  circulation  of  the  Bible  without 
note  or  comment.  It  was  not  to  supplant,  but  to 
supplement,  agencies  already  in  the  field,  such  as  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  the  Sunday  School 
Union,  the  Religious  Tract  Society.  The  servant  of 
all,  it  was  to  be  the  rival  of  none. 

Rapid  extension  The  expansion  of  the  new  Society 
of  the  Society.  was  rapid.  Challenged  by  the  vio- 
lence and  atheism  set  free  during  the  throes  of  the 
French  Revolution,  the  hearts  of  Christian  men 
turned,  even  as  they  are  turning  today,  with  pas- 
sionate eagerness  to  a  fresh  study  of  the  Bible.  With- 
in twelve  years  the  operations  of  the  Society  had  ex- 
tended toGreenland  andCanada,  to  Australia  and  the 
South  Seas,  to  India  and  China  and  the  Malay  Archi- 
pelago, to  the  backwoods  of  America,  the  planta- 
tions of  the  West  Indies,  to  Brazil  and  Chili.  These 
foreign  grants  came  at  that  very  moment  when  the 
first  faint  tappings  of  the  translators  were  heard  from 
the  other  side  of  Christianity's  world  tunnel.  With- 
out the  timely  grants  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  the  first  Bibles  of  Carey  and  Marsh- 
man,  of  Morrison  and  GiitzlafF  and  Moffat  could 
with  difficulty  have  been  published. 


146  The  Bible  and  Missions 

The  Welsh  get  In  the  homeland  the  Welsh  got  their 
their  Bible.  Bibles.  Ten   thousand  copies  of  the 

New  Testament  were  brought  to  Bala  in  1806.  When 
the  people  knew  that  the  cart  containing  the  books 
was  on  the  road  they  went  out  to  meet  it  and  drew  it 
into  town  with  songs  and  rejoicings,  as  did  the  Is- 
raelites the  Ark.  Every  copy  was  eagerly  bought. 
Late  in  the  summer  twilight  young  heads  bent  above 
the  Book,  by  the  glimmer  of  rushlight  aged  faces  in 
many  a  little  cottage  pored  over  the  precious  pages, 
and  laborers  carried  the  Book  to  the  fields  with  them 
in  the  early  morning.  Mary  Jones's  Bible,  her  name 
written  on  the  fly  leaf  in  her  own  handwriting,  is  one 
of  the  treasures  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society.  Bibles  were  circulated  by  the  thousand  in 
the  industrial  towns  like  Bristol  and  Manchester  and 
among  the  prisoners  in  the  festering  jails  and  prisons. 
From  the  first  the  policy  of  selling  rather  than  giving 
Bibles  was  adopted. 

Bible  Schools  in  In  the  wild  highlands  of  Scotland,  a 
the  Scotch  land  then  almost  as  little  known  as 

highlands.  Tasmania,  there  lived  300,000  High- 

landers who  spoke  no  language  but  Gaelic.  An  edi- 
tion of  Gaelic  Bibles  was  immediately  put  on  the 
press  for  them,  and  in  1807  Gaelic  Testaments  were 
to  be  had  for  lod.  and  whole  Bibles  for  3s.  6d.  Many 
Highlanders  walked  great  distances  to  obtain  these 
books.  Little  Bible  Schools  sprung  up  in  the  moun- 
tains, where  old  men  learned  to  read  in  their  own 
tongue  the  wonderful  Word  of  God. 
Bibles  in  five  During  the  first  twelve  years  of  its 
tongues  in  Great  history  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Britain.  Society  printed  and  distributed  Bibles 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  147 

and  Testaments  to  the  number  of  1,605,222  in  the 
five  languages  of  the  British  Isles;  English,  Gaelic, 
Erse,  Manx,  and  Welsh.  Auxiliaries  sprang  up  in 
town  and  country;  among  them  the  Edinburgh 
Bible  Society,  the  Dublin  or  Hibernian  Bible  Society, 
the  Glasgow  Bible  Society,  and  societies  many,  big 
and  little,  in  English  cities  and  towns.  The  country 
was  wretchedly  poor,  the  National  debt  was  crush- 
ing, the  potato  crop  had  failed,  but  the  people  pressed 
forward  to  buy  Bibles.  **We'll  buy  a  little  less  meal 
and  take  home  the  Word  of  God  with  us,"  they  said. 
A  poor  blind  beggar  with  five  children  bought  a 
Testament.  "1  would  grieve  less  to  know  that  my  ^ 
child  was  hungry,"  she  said,  ''than  to  have  it  live 
without  the  Word  of  God." 

Expansion  on  the   From     Great     Britain     the    Society 
Continent.  promptly  extended  its  work  to  the 

continent  of  Europe  in  a  very  Pentecost  of  interest 
in  the  Bible.  An  Icelandic  Bible  was  brought  out  and 
an  auxiliary  founded  in  Iceland.  A  Bible  Society  was 
organized  in  Stockholm,  which  later  became  the 
National  Bible  Society  of  Sweden.  Societies  were 
established  in  Denmark,  Germany,  France,  the 
Netherlands,Austria,  and  Switzerland.  In  18 13  the  St. 
Petersburg  Bible  Society  was  founded  in  the  pres- 
ence of  members  of  State  and  nobles  and  the 
highest  dignitaries  of  the  church.  In  every  case  these 
societies  were  helped  to  organize  by  grants  from  the 
treasury  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 
The  Russian  Bible  Later  some  of  these  societies  incurred 
Society.  the  hostility  of  the  hierarchy  and  were 

suppressed.  The  Russian  Bible  Society  was  under 
the  protection  of  the  Czar,  who  had  ordered  the  New 


148  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Testament  introduced  into  schools  and  colleges. 
The  people  in  many  villages  gathered  to  listen  to  the 
words  of  the  Saviour.  Bibles  were  reaching  the  pris- 
oners and  the  sailors.  Then  the  Holy  Synod  took 
fright.  They  feared  the  effect  of  the  Bible  on  the 
common  people  and  in  1826  were  strong  enough  to 
bring  about  the  edict  suppressing  the  Russian  Bible 
Society,  which  at  that  time  had  289  auxiliaries. 
Fortunes  of  The  Pope,  too,  took  action  against 

Continental  Bible  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in 
Societies.  Poland  and  Austria,  and  reactionary 

governments  often  made  its  circulation  difficult. 
Some  of  these  Continental  societies  organized  in  the 
early  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  have  per- 
sisted. Fifty  were  listed  at  the  time  of  the  Edin- 
burgh Conference  in  1910.  For  the  most  part,  how- 
ever, these  societies  have  confined  their  work  to  the 
publication  of  Bibles  in  their  own  language,  leaving 
the  greater  part  of  the  publication  of  Bibles  for  the 
non-Christian  lands  to  the  three  great  societies  of  the 
English-speaking  world. 

The  Scotch  Bible  The  National  Bible  Society  of  Scot- 
Society,  land  grew  directly  out  of  the  Edin- 
burgh Auxiliary  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society.  The  separation  came  when  a  difference  of 
view  arose  in  regard  to  the  including  of  the  Apochry- 
phal  Books  in  the  Bible.  To  this  the  Scotch  objected, 
and,  although  a  concession  was  made  to  their  views, 
it  did  not  come  in  time  to  avoid  the  foundation  of  a 
separate  society. 

Beginnings  of  The  first  Bible  Society  in  America 
Bible  Society  in  was  Organized  in  Philadelphia  in  1 808. 
America.  'pj^jg  ^^g  aided  by  the  British  and 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  149 

Foreign  Bible  Society,  by  a  grant  of  one  thousand 
dollars  and  a  supply  of  the  Scriptures  in  Welsh, 
Gaelic,  French,  and  German  for  use  among  the  immi- 
grant peoples  of  those  days.  The  following  year  six 
more  Bible  Societies  were  formed,  among  them  the 
New  York  and  Massachusetts  Societies.  As  soon  as 
these  societies  were  formed  and  a  systematic  inquiry 
made  in  regard  to  the  supply  of  Bibles,  it  was  found 
that  many  communities  had  hardly  a  Bible.  In  18 12, 
when  Louisiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  a  long 
search  was  made  for  a  Bible  on  which  to  administer 
the  oath  of  office.  At  last  a  priest  was  discovered 
who  had  a  copy  of  the  Latin  Vulgate.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  there  were  at  least  78,000  families  desti- 
tute of  the  Word  of  God. 

Organization  of  In  1816  a  Convention  of  delegates 
American  Bible  representing  thirty-one  institutions 
Society.  ^^3  called  in  New  York  City,  and  the 

American  Bible  Society  was  org^inized.  Some  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  the  nation  were  present 
at  the  meeting.  Among  them  was  Hon.  Elias  Boudi- 
not,  then  president  of  the  New  Jersey  Bible  Society, 
and  distinguished  for  his  services  during  the  Revolu- 
tion; Samuel  J.  Mills,  a  moving  spirit  in  the  first 
organized  Foreign  Mission  work  in  America;  Rev. 
Lyman  Beecher,  John  Griscom,  Valentine  Mott,  the 
great  surgeon;  Joseph  C.  Hornblower,  later  Chief 
Justice  of  New  Jersey;  James  Fenimore  Cooper, 
Eliphalet  Nott,  William  Jay,  Col.  Richard  Varick,  and 
others  hardly  less  distinguished.  The  following  week. 
May  13,  1 8 16,  a  great  ratification  meeting  was  held 
in  the  Sessions  Court  Room  of  New  York's  beauti- 


i^o  The  Bible  and  Missions 

ful  new  City  Hall,  now  the  Board  of  Estimates' room 
in  New  York's  beautiful  old  City  Hall. 
Distinguished        The  first  President  of  the  Society  was 
names  in  the  Boudinot;  and  Hon.  John  Jay,   the 

Society.  f^rst    Chief   Justice    of    the    United 

States,  became  first  Vice-President  and  later  the 
second  President  of  the  Society.  From  that  day  to 
the  present  a  long  line  of  distinguished  Americans 
have  backed  the  Society  with  their  influence  and 
their  active  support.  President  John  Quincy  Adams 
for  thirty  years  continued  his  active  connection  with 
the  Society.  Other  Presidents,  Andrew  Jackson, 
Zachary  Taylor,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  Rutherford  B. 
Hayes,  Benjamin  Harrison,  Grover  Cleveland,  Theo- 
dore Roosevelt,  and  Woodrow  Wilson  have,  by  their 
outspoken  advocacy,  furthered  the  great  ends  of  the 
Society.  So  have  Chief  Justices  Marshall,  Chase, 
and  Fuller,  and  Justices  McLean,  Harlan,  Brewer, 
Hughes,  and  other  members  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
Many  Governors  have  given  their  hearty  support, 
among  them  DeWitt  Clinton,  who  while  Governor 
of  New  York  came  down  from  Albany  regularly  to 
attend  the  monthly  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Mana- 
gers. If  one  were  to  run  over  the  names  of  the  men 
who  have  made  the  America  of  the  last  one  hundred 
years,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  great  majority  of  them 
have  been  men  who  honestly  and  cordially  recognized 
the  supreme  value  of  the  Bible  in  our  national  civil- 
ization, and  were  true  friends  of  the  American  Bible 
Society. 

Bible  recognized  The  founders  of  the  Republic  realized 
by  founders  of  the  the  importance  of  the  Bible,  before 
Repubhc.  ^j^y  ^[^\q  Society  had  been  organized 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  151 

in  the  whole  world.  Once  in  1777  and  again  in  1782 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  took  official  ac- 
tion toward  the  obtaining  and  supplying  of  Bibles. 
England  had  retained  the  publication  of  the  Bible 
in  her  own  hands.  None  were  published  in  the  Colo- 
nies, and  so  with  the  opening  of  the  Revolution  the 
supply  of  Bibles  was  cut  off.  In  1777  Congress  au- 
thorized its  committee  to  import  20,000  copies  of  the 
Bible.  **This  order  was  accordingly  made."  In  1782 
the  first  English  Bible  ever  printed  in  the  United 
States,  that  printed  by  Robert  Aitken  of  Philadel- 
phia, was  put  out  under  the  auspices  of  Congress  by 
the  passage  of  the  following  resolution: 

Sept.  2,  1782. 
Resolved,  that  the  United  States   in  Congress   assembled 

recommend  this  edition  of  the  Bible  to  the  inhabitants 

of  the  United  States. 

(Signed)  Charles  Thomson, 

Secretary. 

Common  charac-  Such  in  brief  is  the  story  of  the 
teristicsofthe  great  founding  of  the  three  great  Bible 
Bible  Societies.  Societies  of  the  English-speaking  na- 
tions. Certain  principles  and  policies  characterize 
all  three. 

I.  The  printing  of  the  Scripture  without  note  or  comment.  This 
wise  restriction  has  made  it  possible  to  serve  churches  of  the  most 
divergent  views. 

1.  Publishing  of  translations  into  the  languages  of  the  non- 
Christian  world. 

3.  Selling  the  books  at  so  low  a  price  as  to  put  them  within 
the  reach  of  the  poorest.  In  pursuance  of  this  policy  Bibles  are 
often  sold  at  a  mere  fraction  of  their  cost. 

4.  The  printing  of  separate  portions  as  well  as  entire  Testa- 
ments and  Bibles. 


152  The  Bible  and  Missions 

5.     Defraying  the  cost  of  translations  in  the  various  mission 
fields  of  the  world. 

In  pursuance  of  their  policy  of  translating  the 
Scriptures  these  and  the  European  Bible  Societies 
have  pushed  out  to  the  rim  of  the  world,  until  today 
the  Bible  is  the  Universal  Book.  The  prime  reason 
for  requiring  the  immigrants  at  Ellis  Island  to  dem- 
onstrate their  ability  to  read  by  reading  from  the 
Testament  is  bec,ause  it  is  the  only  book  published 
in  all  the  languages  spoken  by  the  immigrants. 
Value  of  Bible  Without  the  co-operation  of  these 
Societies  in  mis-  great  Bible  Societies  it  is  difficult  to 
sionary  enterprise,  ggg  ]^q^  ^j^g  preparation  of  the  trans- 
lations could  have  been  financed.  Year  after  year 
grants  have  been  made  to  some  missionary  or  com- 
mittee in  aid  of  the  translation  of  the  Bible.  The  first 
book  ever  published  by  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  in  1804,  was  St.  John's  Gospel  in  the 
language  of  the  Mohawk  Indians,  a  great  expense  for 
few  people.  The  same  society  voted  Morrison  $50,- 
000  for  expenses  incurred  in  preparing  and  printing 
his  first  Chinese  Bible.  With  no  niggardly  hand  the 
societies  co-operate  with  the  missionaries,  preparing 
the  versions,  printing  the  editions,  and  sending  them 
out,  carriage  free,  to  stations  often  most  remote.  From 
one  agency  in  one  year  missions  of  seventeen  differ- 
ent denominations  have  been  supplied  with  Bibles. 
Enormous  and  The  cnormous  and  continuous  sale 
continuous  sale  of  of  the  Bible  Staggers  belief.  Year 
the  Bible.  after  year,  decade  after  decade,  the 

sale  goes  on,  gathering  volume  as  it  goes.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  bring  together  the  total  sales.  There  are  the 
Bible  Societies,   the  commercial   publishing  houses 


-^•'\^ 


^.^f    -'^S»m.  «^''f>     .  -■  ^  "^^- 


THE  OLD,  OLD  STORY  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  153 

such  as  The  Oxford  Press,  or  The  Nelsons;  there 
are  denominational  publishing  houses;  missions  such 
as  the  Scripture  Gift  Mission,  the  Pocket  Testament 
League,  the  Los  Angeles  Bible  House,  and  scores  of 
others.  It  is  estimated  that  35,000,000  Bibles,  Testa- 
ments, and  Gospels  were  issued  in  19 19,  three-fourths 
of  which  were  published  by  the  Bible  Societies 
throughout  the  world.  In  1913  Japan  bought  586,667 
Bibles,  Testaments,  and  Gospels.  For  several  years 
the  Bible  has  been  the  best  seller  in  Japan,  as  it 
has  in  China,  which  in  1916  bought  2,271,771  copies 
of  either  Bible,  Testament,  or  Gospel;  in  1913  Korea 
purchased  389,401.  The  Filipino  people  in  1917 
bought  119,409  volumes  in  fifteen  languages. 
Salesof  Bible  com- The  significance  of  the  sale  .of  the 
pared  with  those  Bible  is  sccn  Only  when  its  sales  are 
of  other  books.  compared  with  those  of  other  books. 
In  Christian  countries  there  is  no  novelty  to  com- 
mend it,  yet  it  sells  steadily  without  any  press  agents 
or  book  notices.  The  most  popular  modern  English 
author  is  Charles  Dickens.  It  has  been  computed  that 
since  Pickwick  Papers  appeared  25,000,000  copies  of 
Dickens's  works  have  been  published.  The  Bible  sold 
35,000,000  in  one  year.  Said  a  New  York  book-seller, 
**You  may  talk  as  you  will  of  your  multitudinous 
editions  of  popular  novels,  but  the  Bible  leads  them 
all,  year  in  and  year  out."  It  is  difficult  to  realize 
how  many  thirty-five  million  books  are.  Suppose, 
beginning  at  New  York  City  and  traveling  to  San 
Francisco,  eight  Bibles  or  Testaments  were  deposited 
at  the  foot  of  each  telegraph  pole  beside  the  railroad 
track,  there  would  be  forty  thousand  left,  out  of  the 
first  million,  when  the  Golden  Gate  of  San  Francisco 


I  (;4  Till"    l>nu  I     .\n!>   Missions 

was  ic\ulu'il.  .At  (lu'cMul  o\  (he  (lurtv-stxth  crc^ssiiig 
(>r  tlu'  ^.iMUituMit ,  .itiiM  ionsinniii^  at  least  thicc 
months  of  turn-,  (heir  \vi>viKl  l>o  44».\«.\.\''  Hihlcs  rc- 
maitun!',  utuU"|>osi(iil. 

CMjiisCn  llu"      HlhU"     Soe'uMK'S     ilo     lUOlC      [\\M\ 

\t\^t\bo\\d».  i\\\A\\(C    l>ihlr    translation    an^l    piiiu 

all  knuls  (>t  i\htioi\s  o[  the  Hihlc,  Iml;  an^l  little,  and 
si'll  iiitnnnerahle  eopies.  V\\c\  promote  its  sales 
thiAnii'.h  pevllets  <">[  (he  Kook,  Hihle  \  aL',ahoiuls, 
(.'imst's  W  anvletets.  No  ehapter  ot  christian  l\eri>- 
isn\  is  more  splendul  than  that  whieh  reeoiints  the 
stoiv  ol  (he  C'ol|>or(er,  luimhle  like  his  Master, 
anvl  like  his  Master  L',omj\  about  to  ilo  t^^>^l.  The 
C\>l|H>rter     is    uhu|uitinis.    ^  i>ii     eai\    iu>t    lose    hiin. 

II  Noii  aseeiul  to  (he  tro.-ei\  \or(h,  \\c  is  (here;  it 
Vi>vi  IniiN-  Nourselt  m  (he  s(eam\  dejMhs  ot  a  Siuith 
Ametiean  rner  forest,  \\c  is  ahead  o\  nou;  it  vou 
climh  (he  1  limala\  as  aiul  pened.ue  some  hiL^h  pass 
in  lihel,  \  ou  will  find  his  tv>otprints.  i^n  his  hiey- 
ile  he  luims  alvM);;  the  hi>d\\\  avs  ot  the  l*\ir  West; 
iMi  his  snow  slu>es  he  finds  the  lumheriaeks  ii\  the 
Im|',  (imher;  his  trust  n  l'\Md  is  seen  skimming  vner  tlic 
plains.  IK-  j>addles  vlow  n  still  ri\-ers  m  aw  Atrieaii 
dvii^out,  or  paeks  his  Hihles  oi\  a  Russian  sled  ii\  the 
tri>.-en    tastnv'sses  vM    Siberia. 

i\>ijs>uvns  n\  These   eolpvMters    are   ot    all    raecs    as 

rvriy  tauvi.  u,-|l    .is    \\\    c\cv\    nation.    Thev    arc 

the  Jv^hn  (he  Haptists  wiio  prepare  it\  the  desert  a 
hi^^hwav  tvM   (he  missivMiaries. 

/;  u\:s  .;  [}\:p,iHi'S('  co/pon'r'  who  was  visiting  the 
sehvH>ls  \n  Kai;v>shn)\a  it\  January,  1014,  ai\d  trvinLj  to 
sell  Hibles  to  the  stvulents  in  a  laii^e  medieal  sehovtj: 


'I'm.  Travi-.i.s  or  rwi.  Hf)()K  i<;^ 

"I  don't  want  to  rcid  any  aruirnt  cotu cplKin  .  of  two  flioir.arid 
years  ago,"  said  a  studirit  s( oindilly. 

"'\\\v  sun  was  created  niillions  of  years  ago,"  said  ilir  (olpor- 
tcr,  "l)u(  its  liglit  still  wanir.  w,."   And  lie  sold  liis  Ixiok. 

//  ivas  a  (Chinese  (:()l[)()}tfr  who  rcporlcd,  "When  I 
come  to  vilhiges  where  I  have  oflen  been  before,  the 
children  run  to  Duel  u\(\  (  rynig,  "I'he  man  with  the 
lieiivenly  hooks  is  here.' 

//  was  (Uiothcr  (Chinese  colp()rlcr\  Khoo  C'hiimjj;  Hee 
of  Singa|K)re,  who  took  lon^^ journeys  to  Sumatra  and 
Johore,  which  necessitated  his  leavin^^  wile  and  fami- 
ly for  months,  while  he  carried  the  Hi  hie  to  hostile 
Moslem  villages  and  actually  succeeded  in  selling 
i2,Hoo  copies  of  the  Scriptures. 

//  was  a  linly^aria)i  ro/poifcr  who  came  upon  a  gipsy 
camp  and  read  the  d'ospel  to  them  until  midnight, 
with  the  result  that  they  hought  all  his  store  of 
'J'cstaments  and  Psalters. 

//  was  a  llr/yia)i  col  poller^  Canlrie/,  who  got  \\\) 
every  riiorning  at  4.J0  lor  nine  days  in  succession 
that  he  might  sell  his  Hihles  during  the  popular 
j)ilgrimagcs  near  Nannn-. 

//  was  a  MajichnriaN  colportcr  who  preached 
daily  and  sold  IVd)les  at  the  Mongolian  Temple  hair 
where  2,300  Buddhist  Llamas  were  assend)led. 

It  was  a  "-J' ami  I  col  porter  in  South  India  who  gave 
Gospels  to  some  palm-cTunhers  in  exchange  for 
cocoanuts,  because  they  had  no  money. 

//  was  Old  Kitn^  the  tii^cr  binitcr^  whom  Hishop 
Lamhuth  nut  in  Korea,  "a  gri/./led  old  man  with 
weather-heaten  lace  and  i.unhurned  nee  I;  and  shoul- 
ders furrowed  hy  the   claws  of    more  than  one  tiger. 

'What  have  you  in  that  hag,  I5rcjther  Kim?* 


156  The  Bible  and  Missions 

'Ammunition/  was  his  laconic  reply  with  a  smile,  as 
he  showed  his  New  Testament  and  hymn  book. 

*Do  you  no  longer  hunt  tigers?' 

*Noj  Moksa,  I  am  hunting  for  men.*'* 
Colporters  of  true  //  was  a  Chinese  colporter  who  sold 
heroic  stuff.  himself  as  a  slave  so  that  in  the  hold 

of  a  coolie  ship  on  the  voyage  to  South  America  and 
in  the  mines  he  might  tell  his  countrymen  of  Jesus. 

They  were  Tahitian  sellers  of  the  Book  whose  canoe 
was  overturned  one  day  in  the  boiling  surf  two  miles 
off  shore.  When  William  Ellis  went  to  their  rescue 
he  found  the  men  supporting  themselves  on  their 
paddles.  They  said  that  when  the  canoe  sunk  they 
forgot  to  be  afraid  of  the  sharks  because  they  were 
thinking  about  their  Bibles  carefully  wrapped  in 
cloth  and  tied  to  the  mast. 

//  was  English  George  Borrow^  most  noted  of  col- 
porters, who  edited  the  Manchu  New  Testament  in 
St.  Petersburg,  took  journeys  that  carried  him  to  the 
remotest  parts  of  Spain,  and  out  of  them  wrote  his 
famous  and  altogether  delightful  Bible  in   Spain, 

It  was  a  Greek  colporter  who  visited  every  hoiise 
in  Athens  in  1913. 

New  Testament  in  In  Japan,  through  the  co-operation 
Japanese  prisons,  of  the  missionaries  and  the  churches, 
a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  has  been  given  recently 
to  each  of  the  twenty-six  thousand  prisoners  in  the 
part  of  Japan  served  by  the  American  Bible  Society. 
The  great  undertaking  was  conceived  in  the  heart 
of  a  humble  Japanese  colporter  who  went  out  to  walk 
one  Sunday  morning  and  passed  by  the  big  prison  in 
Kofu.  As  he  thought  of  the  wretched  prisoners  with- 
in the  gloomy  pile,  he  remembered  his  own  salvation 


The  Travels  of  the  Boofc  157 

from  a  life  of  sin  by  Christ;  his  heart  melted  in  com- 
passion, and  a  voice  seemed  to  say, 

"Tomorrow  go  there  with  your  Bibles.'* 

He  secured  permission  of  the  prison  officials  to 
present  each  of  the  eight  hundred  prisoners  with  a 
New  Testament,  if  the  books  could  be  given  free  of 
charge.  Confident  that  the  Lord  would  supply  him 
the  funds,  he  stepped  into  the  store  of  a  prosperous 
merchant — not  a  Christian — and  told  him  his  story. 
**That  is  just  what  I  would  be  glad  to  do!  I  will 
give  you  the  money,"  said  the  merchant. 
A  prison  officer  Within  a  Week  several  carloads  of 
impressed.  New  Testaments  were  at  the  prison 

gate  and  the  surprised  official,  who  had  never  ex- 
pected that  his  conditions  could  be  fulfilled,  was 
saying, 

**Why  is  it  that  you  have  worked  with  such  energy, 
baffled  by  no  obstacles,  to  do  this  thing  for  these 
miserable  men.^  I  can  not  understand  it.'* 

For  over  an  hour  the  colporter  opened  the  Scriptures 
and  preached  unto  him  Jesus.  With  tears  in  his  eyes 
the  official  said,  ''Thank  you  for  what  you  have  done 
and  said.  I  have  known  little  about  Christianity, 
but  now  for  the  first  time  I  have  some  understanding 
of  the  true  spirit  of  your  Christ." 
Gifts  from  Jap-  The  changed  attitude  of  the  Japanese 
anese  Christians.  Government  is  seen  in  the  fact  that 
permission  was  given  later  to  carry  out  the  larger 
project  of  giving  a  Testament  to  the  twenty-six 
thousand  prisoners.  When  the  project  was  known 
money  began  to  come  in  from  the  missionaries,  the 
churches,  and  the  Sunday  Schools.  Baron  Morimura 
heard  of  it  and  sent  300  yen.     He  was  himself  con- 


158  The  Bible  and  Missions 

verted  by  reading  Kochi  Sari's  book,  My  Twenty- 
three  Years  in  Prison^  and  ever  since  his  conversion 
has  been  deeply  interested  in  work  among  prisoners. 
Since  this  distribution  of  Bibles  the  Christian 
Governor  of  Kosuge  prison  reports  that  the  Govern- 
ment has  made  it  a  rule  to  furnish  each  new  pris- 
oner's cell  with  a  copy  of  both  the  Christian  and  the 
Buddhist  Scriptures. 

Christ  in  a  It  is  only  necessary  to  allude  to  the 

Korean  prison.  story  of  Syngman  Rhee,  the  highly 
educated  young  Korean  revolutionist,  who  was 
converted  by  reading  the  New  Testament  while 
suffering  the  agonies  of  one  of  the  fetid  prisons  of 
the  old  days  in  Korea.  In  the  prison  with  his  feet  in 
the  stocks  he  cried,  **0  God,  save  my  country,  save 
my  soul!"  When  he  found  Christ,  he  began  to  wit- 
ness to  the  prisoners  and  to  the  jailer  who,  like 
that  jailer  long  ago,  believed  with  all  his  house  and 
was  baptized.  Dr.  Rhee  conducted  classes  for  the 
prisoners  and  before  his  release  had  won  more  than 
forty  to  Christ,  men  perfected  in  suffering,  who  went 
forth  for  the  regeneration  of  Korea.  Dr.  Rhee  him- 
self left  Korea  when  Japan  took  control,  and  went  to 
the  Hawaiian  Islands,  where  he  was  appointed  direc- 
tor of  schools  for  the  very  large  Korean  population 
by  the  Hawaiian  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  Sherwood  Eddy  tells  his  story  fully 
in  his  book,  T^he  New  Era  in  Asia. 
A  Chinese  Phil-  It  was  the  Bible  that  found  Mr. 
anthropist  gives  Yung  Tao,  a  rich  and  successful  busi- 
New  Testament,  j^^gg  j^^j^  q£  Peking,  who  since  1 900  has 
devoted  himself  to  philanthropy  and  social  welfare. 
So  interested  was  he  in  the  development  of  his  na- 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  159 

tion  that  he  undertook  the  education  of  four  hundred 
young  men  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  schools  in  North  China. 
After  long  search  through  the  various  religions  of  the 
world  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  and 
became  convinced  of  its  supreme  value.  In  1914  he 
bought  five  thousand  New  Testaments,  some  of 
them  in  expensive  bindings,  to  present  to  his  friends. 
In  1 91 5  he  gave  an  order  for  ten  thousand  Chinese 
Bibles  in  special  binding,  saying  that  it  was  his 
intention  ultimately  to  distribute  fifty  thousand. 
Each  of  these  Bibles  contained  a  slip  saying,  **Re- 
spectfully  presented  by  Yung  Tao,  who  is  not  a 
church  member."  Not  contented  with  giving  Bibles, 
recommending  them,  and  joining  the  Centenary 
Committee  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  Yung  Tao 
gave  an  hour  every  day  to  the  further  study  of  the 
Bible  with  Mr.  Edwards  of  the  Peking  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
The  result  was  that  he  who  had  so  steadfastly  com- 
mended the  Book  while  declaring  that  he  was  not 
himself  a  Christian  became  a  humble,  ardent  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus,  and  was  baptized  by  Rev.  Chauncey 
Goodrich  at  the  time  of  the  Bible  Society  Centenary, 
May  17,  1 91 6.  Twenty-seven  others  were  baptized 
with  him.  That  afternoon  in  Central  Park,  a  beau- 
tiful place  filled  with  huge  old  cypress  trees,  Yung 
Tao  spoke  before  four  thousand  people  of  the  power 
of  the  Bible  to  change  men's  hearts. 
The  Bible  finds  A  Hindu  fakir  with  matted  hair  and 
a  Hindu /a/c/r.  ash-besmeared  body  was  sitting  lost 
in  meditation,  when  he  chanced  to  see  some  torn 
leaves  of  a  book,  a  part  of  John's  Gospel,  which  some 
one  had  tossed  away.  He  read  words  that  were  like 
water  to  a  man  dying  of  thirst.  He  showed  his  torn 


i6o  The  Bible  and  Missions 

leaves  to  an  Englishman  and  asked  him  if  he  obeyed 
it.  The  Englishman  confessed  his  faith  in  it,  and  as 
he  handed  it  back  th.Q  fakir  noticed  that  he  wore  a 
black  band  on  his  sleeve.  Concluding  that  this  was 
the  caste  mark  of  one  who  obeyed  the  wonderful 
shastra  he  had  found,  t\\Q  fakir  put  a  black  band  on 
his  own  arm,  as  the  badge  of  his  new  faith.  Months 
later  he  wandered  into  a  Christian  church  and  pointed 
to  his  arm-band  as  proof  of  his  discipleship.  When  he 
learned  that  it  was  an  English  sign  of  the  death  of 
some  loved  one,  he  said,  "But  I  read  in  the  Book 
that  my  Loved  One  has  died,  so  I  shall  wear  it  in 
memory  of  him."  When  later  he  received  an  entire 
New  Testament  and  learned  the  gospel  of  the  resur- 
rection, a  new  light  shone  in  his  face;  and  this  be- 
came the  badge  of  his  discipleship  instead  of  the 
black  band  which  he  took  from  his  arm. 
Ministry  to  the  In  addition  to  the  regular  work  of  the 
soldiers.  Bible  Societies  there  is  their  wonder- 

ful ministry  to  the  soldiers  in  time  of  war.  In  the 
Crimean  and  Franco-Prussian  Wars,  the  War  of 
Italian  Liberation,  the  Boer  War,  the  Russo-Japa- 
nese War,  and,  most  of  all,  in  the  great  World  W^ar  the 
presses  have  been  kept  running  night  and  day  to 
supply  the  demands  of  the  army.  The  American  Bible 
Society  has  issued  for  the  use  of  soldiers  and  sailors, 
since  the  World  War  began,  4,541,455  volumes. 
For  the  fighting  forces  in  Europe  the  Society  has 
supplied  1,846,488  Scriptures  in  whole  or  in  part  since 
the  War  began.  The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Socie- 
ty has  distributed  7,000,000  Bibles,  Testaments,  and 
portions  during  the  same  period,  not  only  among  the 
troops  of  the  British  Empire,  and  the  Allies  and 


MISS  ANNA  JOHNSON— MR.  WM.  McPHERSON 

Teaching  a  Blind  and  Crippled  Man  to  Read  Braille  with 

his  Tongue. 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  i6t 

assistants,  but  also  among  all  their  foes,  in  the  very 
ranks  of  their  bitterest  enemies.  The  National  Bible 
Society  of  Scotland  has  distributed  during  four  and 
one-half  years  5,020,000  Bibles,  Testaments,  or 
portions.  In  all  more  than  sixteen  and  one-half 
million  copies  have  been  distributed  in  eighty-one 
languages;  thirty-four  languages  originating  in  Eu- 
rope, five  in  Asia  Minor,  twelve  in  Asia,  eighteen  in 
Africa,  three  in  North  America,  and  nine  in  the  Is- 
lands of  the  Seas. 

Such  a  distribution,  with  the  accompanying  first- 
hand acquaintance  of  the  Scriptures  gained  by  sol- 
diers not  alone  in  the  camps  and  hospitals  of  Europe, 
but  in  Egypt,  in  war-torn  Equatorial  Africa,  in 
Arabia,  Mesopotamia,  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  Persia, 
and  China,  is  one  of  the  profoundest  efforts  for  the 
furtherance  of  the  gospel  proceeding  from  the 
great  World  War.  A  Sower  has  indeed  gone  forth  to 
sow  on  the  blood-stained  fields  of  war.  Some  of  the 
harvests  will  wave  with  golden  grain  a  century  hence. 
Widespread  con-  The  great  distribution  enlisted  wide- 
tributions  to  the  spread  interest.  The  New  York  Globe 
^^^-  conducted  a  campaign  yielding  $5,- 

000,  The  Atlanta  Journal  $4,490,  and  from  thirty- 
two  other  daily  newspapers  from  every  part  of  the 
country  came  equally  energetic  and  enthusiastic 
support.  ''Governors,  Members  of  Congress,  Judges, 
philanthropists,  editors,  merchants,  mechanics, 
clerks,  sisters,  mothers,  housemaids,  children,  G.A.R. 
veterans,  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  ranks,  churches, 
banks,  department  stores,  theatres*'  all  helped.  The 
money  came  in  large  gifts,  small  gifts,  gifts  of  jewelry, 
of  Liberty    Bonds,    of   precious    mementoes.  Gifts 


i62  The  Bible  and  Missions 

came,  too,  from  the  ends  of  the  earth.  General 
Hsiung  Keh-Wu,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  South- 
ern forces  in  Szechuan,  sent  two  hundred  Bank  of 
China  notes  ($80.00)  saying,  "I  know  that  what  the 
Bible  teaches  makes  men  and  nations  great." 
Approval  of  The    distribution    of    Bibles    among 

military  leaders,  the  troops  had  the  warm  approval  of 
the  great  military  leaders.  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Allied  armies.  General  Foch,  wrote  to 
the  New  York  Bible  Society: 

"La  Bible  est  certainement  le  meilleur  viatique  que  vous 
puissiez  donner  au  Soldat  Americain  partant  a  la  Bataille  pour 
entretenir  son  magnifique  Ideal  et  sa  foi." 

Pershing  cabled,  *'I  am  glad  to  see  that  every  man  in 
the  army  is  to  have  a  Testament.  Its  teachings  will 
fortify  us  for  our  great  task."  Leonard  Wood  wrote, 
*'If  we  can  put  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  into  our  army, 
we  need  have  no  fear  of  the  result."  Field  Marshal 
Haig  sent  a  message  to  the  American  soldier  through 
the  New  York  Bible  Society,  ''Knock  impossibilities 
on  the  head;  do  it  now.  God  is  with  you."  Field 
Marshal  Lord  Roberts  said  to  the  British  troops 
when  crossing  the  Channel,  "You  will  find  in  this 
little  volume  guidance  when  you  are  in  health,  com- 
fort when  you  are  in  sickness,  and  strength  when 
you  are  in  adversity."  Vice-President  Thomas  R. 
Marshall  wrote,  "The  pocket  New  Testament  is 
the  most  valuable  thing  which  the  soldier  carries 
into  the  fight  with  him."  President  Wilson  wrote, 
"They  (the  men  of  the  army  and  navy)  will  need  the 
support  of  the  only  Book  from  which  they  can  get 
it."  Theodore  Roosevelt  wrote  to  the  American 
Bible  Society,  "Every  soldier  and  sailor  of  the  United 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  163 

States  should  have  a  Testament."  Abraham  Lincoln 
said  it  all  long  ago,  during  the  years  of  the  Civil  War, 
when  he  said  of  the  Bible,  '*It  is  the  best  Book  that 
God  has  given  to  men." 

The  boys  welcome  That  the  Testaments  were  joyfully 
the  Testament.  received  no  one  could  doubt  who  ever 
saw  the  boys  standing  in  line  to  get  them,  or  read 
their  letters  which  poured  into  the  Bible  House  in  a 
steady  stream. 

'Tve  been  reading  this  and  it  has  changed  my 
life,"  Fighting  Pat  O'Brien  of  the  Royal  Flying 
Corps  wrote.  "A  lot  of  men  who  have  never  thought 
much  about  religion  are  thinking  about  it  now.  I 
believe  they  will  read  those  little  khaki  Testaments 
and  I  am  sure  they  will  get  help  from  them." 

"It  is  strange  how  some  people  are  affected  by 
things,"  remarked  the  Camp  Secretary.  ''Now  there 
was  that  private  at  Camp  Custer.  He  wanted  a 
Testament,  although  he  could  neither  read  nor  write. 
T  can't  read,'  he  said,  'but  I  like  to  feel  one  in  my 
pocket.'  " 

The  Pocket  Testa-  More  than  seventy  thousand  men 
ment  League.  signed  the  cards,  "I  accept  Christ," 
in  the  handsome  little  Pocket-League  Testament. 
These  Testaments  were  presented  personally  to  the 
men  in  the  camps  by  members  of  the  Business  Men's 
War  Council  of  the  Pocket  Testament  League,  who 
toured  the  camps  giving  out  great  numbers  of  them 
to  those  who  would  join  the  Pocket  Testament 
League  by  promising  to  carry  a  Testament  with  them 
always,  and  to  make  a  practice  of  reading  it  daily. 
Story  of  its  The  story  of  the  Pocket  Testament 

beginning.  League  itself  is  a  wonderful  example 


164  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  the  living  power  of  the  gospel.  Some  years  ago 
Miss  Cadbury,  a  young  girl  living  in  Birmingham, 
England,  decided  always  to  carry  a  Testament  in 
her  pocket.  Other  girls  did  the  same.  Later  the 
League  was  extended  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men  and  women.  In  1908,  when  Miss  Cadbury  be- 
came Mrs.  Charles  M.  Alexander,  her  husband  and 
Dr.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman  launched  the  League  to 
endeavor  to  get  people  to  read  at  least  a  chapter  a 
day.  More  than  365,000  British  soldiers  joined  the 
League  during  the  four  years  of  the  war. 
In  the  Valley  of  In  this  war,  as  in  every  other  since 
the  Shadow.  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 

began  its  ministry,  one  hundred  years  ago,  out  of 
the  depths  men  have  cried  unto  God.  After  the 
bloody  battle  of  Stone  River  during  the  Civil  War, 
a  lad  of  nineteen  was  found  dead,  leaning  against 
the  stump  of  a  tree.  His  dead  eyes  were  open, 
his  face  smiling,  his  hand  laid  on  his  open  Bible 
at  the  words,  ''Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil; 
for  thou  art  with  me." 

Seed  sown  by  the  Thousands  have  taken  the  books  and 
wayside.  got  no  good;  thousands  have  carried 

them  in  their  pockets  as  a  talisman  and  felt  little 
benefit;  some  have  thrown  them  away  or  sold  them; 
but  thousands  upon  thousands  have  discovered  the 
Word  of  God,  and  in  that  discovery  have  found  their 
Father.  Such  a  sowing  in  the  blood-drenched  fields 
of  war  has  never  been  known. 

Some  practical  Pointing  morals  is  not  fashionable, 
pointers  for  Bible  but  there  are  some  morals  that  point 
lovers.  ijj^g  ^  gyroscopic  compass.  The  facts 


The  Travels  of  the  Book  165 

of  this  chapter  certahily  have  practical  bearings  on 
every  Christian  Hfe: 

1 .  The  duty  and  privilege  of  joining  the  army  of  Bible  readers. 

2.  The  financial  support  of  the  Bible  Societies. 

3.  The  custom  of  carrying  about  Testaments  or  Bible  por- 
tions in  the  language  of  some  immigrant  peoples  and  giving  them 
out  as  opportunity  offers. 

4.  The  launching  of  a  National  Campaign  of  Bible  selling 
and  Bible  distribution. 

5.  Increased  honor  of  the  Bible  in  our  churches  and  homes. 

6.  Furthering  the  enrollment  in  the  Pocket  Testament 
League. 

7.  A  campaign  of  newspaper  publicity. 

Financial  support  It  is  to  be  feared  that  thousands  of 
of  the  Societies.  individuals  and  churches  do  not 
realize  that  the  great  Bible  Societies  need  con- 
tinuous financial  support  if  they  are  to  maintain  their 
blessed  ministry.  In  the  early  years  Bible  Day  was 
regularly  observed  each  year  in  hundreds  of  churches. 
Now  in  thousands  it  is  never  mentioned.  If  every 
Sunday  School  member  were  asked  to  give  five  cents 
annually  on  a  Bible  Day,  in  which  the  glorious  minis- 
try of  the  American  Bible  Society  was  clearly  pre- 
sented, a  fund  of  a  million  dollars  a  year  would  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Society.  What  this  would 
mean  in  extending  the  influence  of  the  Word  of  God, 
no  words  are  vigorous  enough  to  express.  Some  de- 
nominations have  a  noble  record  of  faithful  support 
of  the  Bible  Society.  Others  are  not  so  well  repre- 
sented. Doubtless  this  is  through  failure  to  recognize 
that  funds  are  actually  needed.  A  perusal  of  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  American  Bible  Society  will 
reveal  whether  our  own  church  is  honoring  its  devo- 
tion to  the  Bible  in  this  tangible  evidence  of  interest. 


OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  V. 


Aim:  To  show  that  the  Bible  has  a  message  for  nations;  that 
nations  are  held  accountable  for  national  sins;  that  the  Bible 
conceptions  lie  at  the  bottom  of  all  that  is  best  in  the  laws 
and  ideals  of  modern  Christian  nations,  and  that  in  the  non- 
Christian  nations  the  influence  of  the  Bible  is  plainly  seen. 

I.  The  Bible  message  for  nations. 

1.  Their  accountability  to  the  laws  of  God. 

2.  Their  punishment  for  national  sins. 

II.  Biblical  foundations  in  modern  Christian  nations. 

1.  Influence  on  the  arts. 

2.  Influence  on  Law. 

a.  European  codes. 

b.  Roman  law. 

c.  English  law.     (Illustrations.) 

d.  American  laws.     (Testimony  of  great  men.) 

3.  Influence  through  continuous  education  of  church  festi- 
vals and  ordinances. 

a.  The  Sabbath,  Sunday  Schools,  Christmas,  Easter. 

b.  Baptism,  The  Lord's'Supper. 

III.  The  Bible's  Influence  on  non-Christian  lands. 

1.  India,  seen  in  growing  appreciation  of  thoughtful  men, 
changing  status  of  women,  loosening  of  caste  bonds,  rise 
of  the  Christian  Community. 

2.  Africa,  Uganda,  among  the  Scchuana,  the  Hottentots. 

3.  New  Zealand  among  the  Maori. 

4.  Pacific  Islands,  testimony  of  Darwin;  service  and 
testimony  of  Chalmers  and  Paton. 

5.  Korea,  a  nation  of  Men  of  the  Book. 

6.  Japan,  influence  of  early  Christians,  testimony  of  Count 
Okuma,  changing  status  of  women,  prison  reform,  func- 
tioning of  Christian  conscience. 

7.  China,  influence  of  Christian  missionaries,  diplomats, 
education.  Testimony  of  great  officials. 

IV.  The  Bible  goes  back  to  its  homeland. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BIBLE^S    INFLUENCE    ON    CIVILIZATION 

"Hold  fast  to  the  Bible  as  the  sheet-anchor  to  your  liberties,  write  its  precepts 
in  your  hearts,  and  practice  them  in  your  lives.  To  the  influence  of  this  Book  we 
are  indebted  for  all  progress  made  in  our  true  civilization,  and  to  this  we  must 
look  as  our  guide  in  the  future."  t/.  ^.  Graw/,  1 8th  President  of  the  U.  S. 

Topic  of  In  preceding  chapters  we  have  out- 

Chapter,  lined    the    Bible's    own    missionary 

character  and  message,  have  shown  the  enormous 
enterprise  accomplished  by  Bible  translators  in  fur- 
thering the  worldwide  propagation  of  the  Christian 
message,  and  have  discussed  the  rise  and  activities 
of  the  great  Bible  Societies  which  have  made  possible 
the  worldwide  distribution  of  the  Scripture,  through 
the  co-operation  of  the  various  missionary  agencies. 
In  the  present  chapter  we  are  to  study  the  influence 
which  the  Bible  exerts  not  alone  upon  individuals, 
but  upon  nations. 

The  Bible  has  a  The  Bible  has  a  message  to  the  na- 
message  to  nations,  tions.  It  Contains  the  story  of  one  na- 
tion chosen  by  God  for  a  great  mission  to  the  whole 
world.  It  addresses  the  nations  almost  as  super- 
personalities,  and  plainly  recognizes  them  as  having 
an  organic  life  and  a  national  responsibility  to  the 
God  of  nations.  Human  society  according  to  the 
Bible  rests  on  no  'social  contract,'  but  inheres  in  the 
plan  of  the  Creator,  who  made  men  and  nations  to 
be  members  of  one  another  in  one  great  human 
family. 

National  sins  pay  So  Strong  is  the  scnse  of  responsi- 
nationai  penalties,  bility  to  God  on  the  part  of  nations 
and  of  smaller  social  groups  that  the  Bible  is  full 


i68  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  reproofs  and  dooms  pronounced  against  those 
nations  which  forsook  God.  Jesus'  woe  pronounced 
upon  Capernaum  and  Bethsaida  (Matt,  xi,  20-25) 
is  in  line  with  the  dooms  which  the  prophets  pro- 
nounced against  nations  and  cities  at  the  very  hour 
when  their  arrogant  wickedness  strutted  defiant 
before  the  face  of  God.  These  prophecies  make  great 
reading  to  the  traveler  in  Mesopotamia  and  Syria. 
Cyrus  Hamlin  A  colonel  in  the  Turkish  army  once 
and  the  Turkish  asked  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin,  in  Con- 
coionei.  stantinople,  for  a  proof  that  the  Bible 

is  the  word  of  God.  Dr.  Hamlin  did  not  immediately 
answer,  but,  learning  that  the  colonel  was  a  traveled 
man,  he  said  to  him: 

"Have  you  ever  been  in  Babylon?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  colonel,  "and  I  will  tell  you  a 
curious  incident.  The  ruins  of  Babylon  abound  in 
game;  and  once,  engaging  a  sheikh  with  his  followers, 
I  arrived  among  the  ruins  for  a  week's  shooting.  At 
sundown  the  Arabs,  to  my  amazement,  began  to 
strike  their  tents.  I  went  to  the  sheikh  and  protested 
most  strongly.  I  was  paying  him  handsomely,  but 
I  now  offered  to  double  the  amount;  but  nothing  I 
could  say  had  any  effect. 

'It  is  not  safe,*  said  the  sheikh,  'no  mortal  flesh 
dare  stay  here  after  sunset.  Ghosts  and  ghouls  come 
out  of  the  holes  and  caverns  after  dark,  and  whom- 
soever they  capture  becomes  one  of  themselves.  No 
Arab  has  ever  seen  the  sun  go  down  on  Babylon.'  " 

Dr.  Hamlin  took  out  his  Bible  and  read  from  the 
thirteenth  of  Isaiah:  "And  Babylon,  the  glory  of 
kingdoms,  the  beauty  of  the  Chaldeans*  pride,  shall 
be  as  when  God  overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  169 

It  shall  never  be  inhabited,  neither  shall  it  be  dwelt 
in  from  generation  to  generation;  neither  shall  the 

Arabian  pitch  tent  there, but  wild  beasts  of 

the  desert  shall  lie  there, and  wolves  shall  cry- 
in  their  castles,  and  jackals  in  the  pleasant  palaces." 
(Isaiah  xiii,  19). 

"That  is  history  you  have  been  reading,'*  said  the 
Turk. 

**No,"  said  Dr.  Hamlin,  "it  is  prophecy.  Those 
words  were  written  when  Babylon  was  in  all  her 
glory;  and  you  know  what  Babylon  is  today.'* 
Biblical  founda-  No  teaching  is  more  needed  today 
tions  of  modem  than  the  plain  Bible  doctrine  that 
civilization.  Q^^  h^s  a  will  for  the  nations;  that 

they  are  subject  to  his  law,  that  those  who  break 
it  will  be  punished  as  nations;  that  the  Kingdom  of 
God  is  no  iridescent  dream,  but  a  great  reality  to 
be  accomplished  in  this  world  through  our  co-opera- 
tion with  the  God  of  Nations  in  the  upbuilding  of 
human  society.  Were  there  opportunity  in  this 
brief  sketch,  it  would  be  of  wonderful  interest  to 
study  the  way  in  which  the  Bible  has  been  wrought 
into  the  very  substance  of  our  civilization,  modifying, 
or  creating  many  of  its  features.  Imperfectly  obeyed 
and  only  partially  known  as  the  Bible  teachings 
have  been,  they  have  laid  the  foundations  of  all  that 
is  glorious  in  modern  civilization.  There  is  room 
barely  to  allude  to  this  phase  of  the  question,  since 
our  main  business  is  with  the  influence  of  the  Bible 
in  the  nations  among  which  the  modern  missionary 
enterprise  is  at  work. 

The  Bible  influ-  The  change  from  the  roll  to  the  parch- 
cnces  the  Arte.       ment    volume    was    made    by    the 


170  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Church  in  the  copying  of  the  Bible,  so  that  we  are 
indebted  to  the  Bible  that  we  read  from  'biblia 
and  not  from  rolls.  In  the  illuminating  of  the  old 
vellum  manuscripts  of  the  Bible,  in  the  decorating  of 
the  churches  with  paintings  of  scriptural  scenes,  in 
the  manufacture  of  jeweled  cups  and  chalices,  in  the 
weaving  of  altar  cloths,  the  artisans  of  the  middle 
ages  found  the  inspiration  of  their  crafts.  Lamps, 
cups  of  glass  or  gold  or  silver,  ivory  tablets  and  carv- 
ings, vestments  and  curtains,  cathedrals  and  town 
halls,  all  show  the  ever-present  influence  of  the  Bible. 
The  architects,  the  painters,  the  sculptors,  the  gold 
and  silver  smiths,  the  leather  workers,  the  carpenters, 
the  weavers,  the  lace-workers,  all  found  the  Bible 
molding  and  developing  their  crafts.  Says  Von 
Dobschiitz: 

"It  was  the  Christian  church  which  served  to  keep  the  old 
civilization  alive  through  all  troubles  and  dangers.  When  classi- 
cal training  had  nearly  vanished  everywhere  else,  it  was  found  in 
some  remote  monasteries.  Esteem  of  good  style,  love  of  ancient 
poetry,  some  chance  bits  of  philosophy  had  safely  weathered 
the  storm.  But  it  was  only  in  combination  with  the  Bible  that 
those  remains  of  classical  reading  were  allowed  to  persist.  The 
mediaeval  civilization  was  Biblical  at  its  base." 

The  Bible  influ-  A  young  man  who  thought  himself 
ences  Law.  an   unbeliever  started   to   read   law. 

As  he  read  Blackstone's  Commentaries  he  continual- 
ly came  upon  references  to  the  Laws  of  Moses  as  to 
a  source  undoubted  and  indisputable.  Turning  to 
study  the  Bible,  which  he  had  always  neglected  and 
despised,  he  was  surprised  to  find  how  its  principles 
underlay  law,  and,  as  he  read,  he  became  himself  a 
believer.  When  King  Alfred  the  Great  collected  to- 
gether the  old  Saxon  laws  for  his  people,  he  put  the 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  171 

Ten  Commandments  at  the  beginning  as  the  basal 
law  of  the  land.  The  old  German  collections  likewise, 
Schwabenspiegel^  Sachsenspiegel^  etc.,  present  the 
law  as  based  on  the  law  of  God  contained  in  the  Bible. 
The  Canon  Law  quite  naturally  incorporated  much 
from  the  Bible,  though  it  often  departed  widely  from 
Its  spirit  in  favor  of  more  autocratic  sources.  The 
wonderful  body  of  Roman  Law  was  also  deeply 
affected  by  principles  derived  from  the  Bible.  The 
principles  underlying  Hebrew  laws  and  the  teachings 
of  the  New  Testament  were  so  wrought  into  the 
structure  of  Roman  Law  in  the  codes  of  Theodosius 
and  Justinian  as  permanently  to  shape  it.  (See  chap- 
ter V,  vol.  I,  Millman's  Latin  Christianity)) 
The  Bible  in  English  law  was  least  influenced  by 

English  Law.  Roman  law.  **Down  through  the 
ages,"  says  Tenney  in  his  Contrasts  in  Social  Pro- 
gress^ "they  (the  English)  pushed  phrase  upon  phrase 

of  Christian  edict He  will  never  understand 

how  justice  has  come  into  the  English  world  and  fair 
dealing  and  kindness  between  neighbors,  purity  and 
self-control,  who  does  not  detect  the  hoary  heads  of 
sermons  upon  the  pages  of  its  black-letter  law  books. 
In  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  one  hundred  and  sixty 
chancellors,  and  all  the  masters  of  the  rolls  during 
the  first  twenty-six  years,  were  clergymen.  The 
moral  principles  of  Christianity  as  elaborated  during 
many  centuries  were  thus  transmuted  daily  into 
law."  Take  for  example  the  statement  of  Edward 
the  Conqueror:  "We  know  that  through  God*s  grace 
a  thrall  has  become  a  thane,  and  a  churl  has  become 
an  earl,  a  singer  a  priest,  and  a  scribe  a  bishop;  and 
formerly,  as  God  decreed,  a  fisher  became  a  bishop. 


i'/^  The  Bible  and  Missions 

We  have  all  one  Heavenly  Father,  one  spiritual 
mother  which  is  called  the  Church,  and  we  are  there- 
fore brothers." 

"Christian  law,  the  guardian  angel  of  a  hundred 
generations,  the  absolute  justice  of  the  state,  en- 
lightened by  the  perfect  reason  of  the  state,  is  little 
else  than  the  attempt  to  reduce  the  Golden  Rule  to 
practice,'*  says  Choate. 

'*In  two  minutes  I  can  tell  you  how  to  be  a  good 
lawyer — as  good  a  lawyer  as  anybody,"  said  Gover- 
nor Briggs  of  Massachusetts.  **Just  look  over  your 
case  carefully,  understand  it,  and  then  do  what  you 
think  is  right,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  you  will 
have  the  law  on  your  side." 

Slow  conquest  of  Great  evils,  to  be  sure,  have  been  en- 
Bibiicai  ideals.  trenched  in  the  law  of  Christian  lands 
for  centuries.  The  principles  of  the  Bible  have  pene- 
trated slowly  and  with  infinite  difficulty  into  the 
violent  and  cruel  lives  of  men;  but,  when  once  it  has 
been  clearly  seen  by  any  great  number  of  the  people 
that  a  cause,  an  institution,  or  a  form  of  government 
is  contrary  to  the  Gospel,  that  day  the  cause,  or 
institution,  or  government  is  doomed. 
The  Bible  influ-  When  we  turn  to  our  own  country 
ences  Constitution  for  an  illustration  of  the  influence  of 
of  United  States,  the  Bible  on  national  life  and  customs 
and  character,  the  evidence  is  overwhelming.  The 
Pilgrim  Fathers  came  to  America  that  they  might 
freely  carry  out  the  principles  they  found  in  their 
Bibles.  A  small  band  of  them  protested  against  cur- 
rent ideas  of  political  and  religious  freedom  and  were 
driven  into  the  wilderness  of  Rhode  Island.  There 
they  planted  a  State  based  squarely  upon  the  prin- 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  173 

ciples  of  soul  liberty,  individual  accountability,  and 
God's  government  of  nations.  Ultimately  they  have 
given  their  ideals  to  the  whole  nation,  as  Oscar 
Strauss  points  out  in  his  Life  of  Roger  Williams. 
Illustrations  of  (i)  When  Jefferson  drew  up  the  Dec- 
Bible's  influence,  laration  of  Independence  he  stated 
that  he  had  drawn  many  of  the  principles  from  his 
observations  of  the  practices  of  self-government  in  a 
local  Baptist  Church.  The  earlier  Mecklenburg 
Declaration  was  drawn  up  by  delegates  of  Presbyte- 
rian churches. 

(2)  It  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  a  man  steeped  in  the 
knowledge  and  love  of  the  Bible,  who  blackened  out 
from  our  laws  the  statutes  permitting  slavery. 

(3)  It  was  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
which  handed  down  a  decision  affirming  that  this  is 
a  Christian  country. 

Testimony  of  There  is  an  embarrassment  of  riches 
great  men.  when  one  turns  to  the  great  men  of 

all  nations  for  their  testimony  regarding  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Bible  on  civil  law  and  the  institutions  of 
free  government.  Said  John  Quincy  Adams,  "In 
whatsoever  light  we  regard  the  Bible,  whether  with 
reference  to  revelation,  to  history,  or  to  morality,  it 
is  an  invaluable  and  inexhaustible  mine  of  knowl- 
edge and  virtue."  Wrote  Horace  Greeley,  "It  is 
impossible  mentally  or  socially  to  enslave  a  Bible- 
reading  people.  The  principles  of  the  Bible  are  the 
groundwork  of  human  freedom."  Queen  Victoria 
gave  a  Bible  to  a  pagan  ambassador  who  had  in- 
quired the  secret  of  England's  greatness,  saying, 
"This  is  the  secret  of  England's  greatness."  Froude, 
in  his  essay  on  Calvinism,  says,  "All  that  we  call 


174  The  Bible  and  Missions 

modern  civilization,  in  a  sense  which  deserves  the 
name,  is  the  visible  expression  of  the  transforming 
power  of  the  gospel."  The  new  Commissioner  from 
the  Philippines,  Teodora  Yanco,  said  recently  that 
his  predecessor,  Mr.  Quezon,  told  him,  ''Study  the 
Bible  because  the  Bible  is  the  underlying  secret  of 
American  philanthropy.  The  business  men  of  Amer- 
ica have  been  launched  into  all  kinds  of  philanthropic 
effort  in  behalf  of  their  fellow  men,  because  America 
is  a  land  where  the  Bible  is  honored  and  read."  Of 
the  Bible  said  Garibaldi,  'This  is  the  cannon  that 
will  make  Italy  free."  Six  years  ago  the  Governor  of 
Michigan  declared  in  a  message  to  the  State  Legisla- 
ture, "The  Bible  is  our  Constitution  of  Christian 
Civilization."  Said  Gladstone,  "My  only  hope  for 
the  world  is  in  bringing  the  human  mind  into  contact 
with  Divine  revelation."  Said  G.  Stanley  Hall  in 
an  address  on  The  Teaching  of  Morals,  "To  cultivate 
morality  one  must  appeal,  as  the  Bible  does,  to  the 
moral  sense  rather  than  to  reason.  Hence  life  must 
be  leavened  with  religion  and  children  infected  with 
Christianity."  Of  Justice  Harlan  of  the  Supreme 
Court  it  was  said  that  he  went  to  his  rest  each  night 
with  one  hand  on  the  Bible  and  the  other  on  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

The  Bible  influ-  Modern  music  was  born  in  the  service 
ences  music.  of  the   Church.  The  greatest  music 

that  has  ever  been  written  is  Christian  in  its  occasion, 
theme,  or  inspiration.  Outside  of  nations  under  the 
fructifying  and  radiant  impulses  of  the  gospel,  no 
great  music  has  ever  arisen.  The  great  masters  have 
been  the  servants  of  the  Bible. 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  175 

The  Bible  infiu-  President  Schurman  of  Cornell  has 
ences  through  Commented  on  the  educative  power 
church  ordinances  of  the  Christian  Sabbath  on  our  na- 
and  festivals.  ^ional  life.  Week  after  week,  month 

after  month,  year  after  year,  century  after  century, 
the  hearts  of  the  people  are  summoned  to  the 
thought  of  God  through  the  recurring  Christian  fes- 
tival of  the  Sabbath.  At  least  four  hundred  thousand 
sermons  based  on  the  Bible  are  preached  every  week 
in  gatherings  held  for  religious  purposes.  We  com- 
plain sometimes  that  people  do  not  go  to  church.  The 
miracle  is  that  there  is  one  topic  which  for  fifty-two 
weeks  in  a  year,  for  one  hundred  years  in  a  century, 
can  draw  people  out  to  hear  it  discussed  by  men  of 
usually  no  more  than  ordinary  ability.  A  great  speak- 
er might  fill  the  largest  hall  on  a  political  topic  for 
two  or  three  or  possibly  ten  weeks  running.  There  is 
no  topic  but  religion  which  could  get  him  an  audi- 
ence for  a  year,  much  less  for  two  or  ten.  "Every 
period  of  English-speaking  history  assures  us  that 
our  moral  power  increases  or  weakens  with  the  rise 
or  fall  of  Sabbath  reverence,"  says  McAfee  in  ne 
Greatest  English  Classic.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
no  religion  except  the  Christian  has  developed  any- 
thing comparable  to  the  local  congregational  groups 
meeting  weekly  for  social  worship,  fellowship,  and 
instruction.  This  is  a  characteristic  functioning  of 
Christianity  of  enormous  social  power.  Join  to  the 
Sabbath,  the  Sunday  School,  the  Christmas  and 
Easter  festivals,  the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  you  have  a  group  of  institutions 
whose  steady  pressure  upon  the  national  life  is  as 
immeasurable  as  it  is  unnoted. 


176  The  Bible  and  Missions 

The  Bible  influ-  Turning  from  Christian  nations,  or 
ence  on  non-Chris-  more  properly  nations  on  the  road  to 
tian  nations.  bccome  Christian,  let  us  consider  the 

marvelous  transforming  influence  of  the  Bible  as  seen 
today  at  work  in  the  so-called  non-Christian  nations 
of  the  world.  In  considering  this  we  shall  not  em- 
phasize the  direct  religious  influence  which  is  pri- 
marily exerted  upon  individuals,  the  cell-life  of 
nations,  but  consider  rather  those  lower  and  more  ob- 
vious effects  to  be  seen  in  customs  and  institutions. 
In  reality  when  we  know  the  revolutionary  power  of 
the  Christian  gospel  upon  individuals,  we  need  not 
stop  to  consider  anything  else,  since  what  changes 
the  cell  changes  the  organism.  But  in  deference  to 
our  slowness-of-heart-to-believe  in  that  which  is 
spiritual  and  unseen  the  lesser  inquiry  has  its  place, 
innuence  of  Bible  India,  one  of  the  great  heathen  na- 
on  India.  tions  (non-Christian  seems  too  weak 

a  term  to  describe  India's  spiritual  wire  entangle- 
ments) has  been  longest  under  the  impact  of  civiliza- 
tion colored  by  Biblical  conceptions  and  principles. 
India  is  one  of  the  most  difficult,  if  not  the  most 
difficult  field  in  the  world.  Yet  the  traces  of  the 
Bible's  influence  in  Indian  life  are  written  large  for 
him  who  runs  to  read.  An  address  was  delivered  to 
the  students  in  St.  Paul's  College,  Calcutta,  recently, 
by  a  leading  Hindu,  Sir  Narayan  Chandavarkar, 
which  shows  the  estimate  placed  on  the  Bible  by 
leaders  of  Indian  thought,  even  though  they  do  not 
avow  themselves  Christian.  He  showed  the  students 
his  well-worn  pocket  New  Testament,  told  them  that 
it  had  been  his  daily  companion  for  thirty  years,  and 
recommended  to  them  his  daily  habit  of  reading  the 


The  Influence  of  the  Book:  177 

Epistle  of  James  before  dawn,  to  lift  their  thoughts  to 
God. 

Said  one  of  the  Indian  Rajahs,  ''If  I  were  a  mis- 
sionary I  would  not  argue,  I  would  distribute  the 
New  Testament."  If  the  royal  gentleman  had  con- 
sidered that  even  after  a  century  of  promotion  of 
education  by  a  Christian  Government  and  by  Chris- 
tian missions  only  one  man  in  ten  and  one  woman  in 
a  hundred  can  read,  he  might  have  recognized  some 
other  forms  of  Christian  service  as  also  needful. 

It  was  the  Maha-Rajah  of  Travancore  who  gave 
this  testimony  to  the  power  of  the  Bible,  "Where  do 
the  English  get  their  knowledge,  intelligence,  clever- 
ness, and  power?  It  is  their  Bible  which  gives  it  to 
them;  and  now  they  have  translated  it  into  our 
language,  bring  it  to  us  and  say,  'Take  it,  read  it, 
examine  it,  and  see  if  it  is  not  good.'  Of  one  thing  I 
am  convinced,  do  what  we  will,  oppose  it  as  we  may, 
it  is  the  Christian  Bible  that  will  sooner  or  later  work 
out  the  regeneration  of  our  land." 
The  elevation  The  evidences  of  the  loosening  of  the 
of  the  outcastes.  strangle-hold  of  caste  have  multiplied 
during  the  war.  Many  of  these  53,000,000  dispossess- 
ed working  people  of  India  went  into  the  war.  They 
came  back  with  a  vision  of  a  new  world.  The  upper 
classes  were  obliged  to  break  caste  regulations  in  the 
very  act  of  crossing  the  seas  and  in  the  multitudinous 
contacts  on  the  journey  and  in  the  field.  They  re- 
turned with  a  new  vision.  In  no  respect  is  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Bible  to  uplift  whole  communities  more 
clearly  seen  than  among  these  very  outcaste  Chris- 
tians, who  are  'stepping  down  into  Christianity,'  as 
the  Hindus  say,  at  the  rate  of  ten  thousand  a  month. 


178  The  Bible  and  Missions 

When  they  become  Christians, — poor  and  ignorant 
though  they  be — they  begin  to  clean  up. 

When  plague  comes  these  simple  Christians,  freed 
from  the  base  superstition  of  other  outcastes,obey  the 
sanitary  rules  given  them  by  the  missionaries,  and 
excite  the  superstitious  envy  of  their  neighbors  by 
their  immunity  from  plague.  In  education,  too,  the 
change  is  marked.  While  the  census  of  1901  showed 
that  among  the  whole  fifty-three  millions  of  out- 
castes  only  one-half  of  one  per  cent  were  able  to  read, 
among  the  Christians  the  census  of  191 1  showed  a 
higher  percentage  of  literacy  than  even  that  of 
the  Brahmins;  the  Christian  percentage  of  literacy 
being  22  per  cent  as  compared  with  an  average  of  6 
per  cent  for  all  India.  Yet  80  per  cent  of  the  Chris- 
tian population  is  made  up  of  'untouchables.'  An- 
other curious  revelation  of  the  fact  that  the  Bible 
teaching  does  actually  uplift  socially  and  intellect- 
ually is  that  after  becoming  Christians  the  'untouch- 
ables' are  no  longer  considered  'untouchables'  in 
many  parts  of  India.  Some  of  their  children  even 
become  teachers  in  caste  schools;  not  a  few  gain 
University  degrees. 

The  changing  According  to  the  most  revered  and 
status  of  woman,  ancient  Hindu  laws,  women  are  shut 
out  from  participation  in  social  life,  in  religious 
privileges,  in  the  kingdom  of  the  mind.  They  are 
married  in  childhood,  become  mothers  at  the  dawn 
of  adolescence,  and  upon  the  death  of  their  husbands 
are  doomed  to  perpetual  widowhood.  During  the 
hundred  years  in  which  India  has  been  under  the 
impact  of  Bible  ideals  these  changeless  customs  and 
inhibitions  affecting  women  have  been  silently  under- 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  179 

mined  until  today  India  is  almost  ready  publicly  to 
break  with  many  customs  long-buttressed  by  reli- 
gion. Indian  women  are  demanding  education,  are 
entering  professional  life,  are  coming  out  of  their 
seclusion.  There  is  not  a  department  in  their  life 
unaffected  by  contact  with  Christian  women  of  the 
West,  and  by  the  diffusion  of  the  Christian  Scriptures. 
Uganda's  marvel-  Uganda  is  not  only  the  scene  of  the 
ous transformation,  rnost  wonderful  transformation  of  a 
whole  people  in  all  Africa,  but  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful in  the  whole  world.  Those  who  remember 
Stanley's  description  of  the  violence  and  evil  which 
marked  the  life  of  the  Baganda  people,  and  his  ap- 
peal for  missionaries  to  their  dark  land  can  realize 
the  miraculous  change  which  has  been  effected  in 
less  than  fifty  years.  From  the  days  when  King 
Mtesa  wavered  between  belief  and  persecution,  when 
the  first  Christian  martyrs  laid  down  their  lives  in 
flame  and  torture,  when  Bishop  Hannington  'opened 
the  way  to  Uganda  with  his  life,'  when  Mackay 
toiled  and  Pilkington  translated  the  Scripture  is  a 
time  well  within  the  memory  of  living  men.  Today 
the  country  is  dotted  with  churches  and  school  houses 
built  and  maintained  by  the  people.  There  is  a  vast 
cathedral,  the  product  of  African  workmanship  and 
African  gifts.  In  it  a  vested  choir  discourses  sweet 
music  and  great  multitudes  kneel  in  prayer.  Mis- 
sionaries drawn  from  the  native  church  are  freely 
supported  among  the  heathen  tribes.  A  constitu- 
tional monarchy  with  well-regulated  laws  has  been 
established,  and  the  Prime  Minister,  iVpolo  Kagwa, 
a  black  statesman,  attended  the  coronation  of 
Edward  VII.  Not  only  did  he  attend  the  coronation. 


i8o  The  Bible  and  Missions 

but  he  wrote  a  delectable  book  about  his  experiences, 
on  his  return  home,  and  multitudes  of  his  country- 
men bought  it  and  read  it.  Uganda  today  is  no  savage 
wilderness.  It  has  its  railways,  its  harnessed  water- 
power,  its  post  office  and  roads,  its  cultivated  farms 
and  neat  homes.  The  Bible  is  the  sole  and  sufficient 
cause  of  this  transformation.  There  are  other  African 
tribes  where  trade  has  gone  without  the  Bible  and 
degraded  the  people  even  as  it  has  purchased  their 
goods.  There  are  other  peoples  where  European 
governments  have  taken  control,  only  to  ruin  them. 
The  missionary  with  his  Bible  got  to  Uganda,  and 
got  there  first. 

Jean  Mackenzie  in  her  African  Trail  recounts  how 
the  coming  of  the  Bible  begot  confidence  and  mutual 
trust  between  suspicious  tribes: 

"Before  the  people  of  God  began  to  spring  up  in  the  forest 
there  was  no  intertribal  talk  of  'brother'  unless  between  allied 
tribes.  I  once  heard  long  talk  of  this  matter  on  a  forest  journey. 
I  had  four  hammock  carriers,  each  of  a  different  tribe. 

'This  walking  that  we  walk  today,'  they  told  each  other  on 
that  journey,  'is  a  strange  walking  for  black  people  to  walk;  four 
men  of  four  tribes  walking  in  one  company  and  doing  one  work. 
God  alone  could  unite  us  after  this  fashion.'  And  to  the  white 
woman  they  said,  'Before  the  time  of  the  things  of  God,  not  one 
of  us  but  would  have  feared  to  meet  the  other.  Ah,  brothers, 
is  it  not  a  true  word?' 

'He  tells  the  truth!' 

*And  now,  we  eat  together  and  we  sleep  together  like  people 
of  one  village.'  " 

A  story  by  David  David  Livingstone  told  how  the 
Livingstone.  teachers  found  the  Sechuana  Testa- 

ment a  powerful  weapon.  They  said,  **We  thought 
it  was  a  charm  of  the  white  people  to  ward  off  sick- 
ness, or  that  it  was  a  trap  to  catch  us.  We  had  never 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  i8i 

heard  of  such  a  thing.  Our  fathers  who  have  all  died 
in  the  darkness  could  not  tell  us  about  it.  We  thought 
it  was  a  thing  to  be  spoken  to;  but  now  we  know  it 
has  a  tongue.  It  speaks  and  will  speak  to  the  whole 
world." 

Hottentot  In  1 836  the  wild  men  spoke  for  them- 

testimony.  selves  in  a  great  meeting  in  London, 

convened  by  the  London  Missionary  Society.  Said 
the  Hottentot  delegate;  ''When  the  Bible  came  to  us 
we  were  naked;  we  lived  in  caves  and  on  the  tops  of 
mountains;  we  painted  our  bodies  with  red  paint. 
The  Bible  charmed  us  out  of  the  caves  and  from  the 
tops  of  the  mountains.  Now  we  know  there  is  a  God." 
The  Bible  infiu-  The  influence  of  the  Bible  in  trans- 
ences  the  Maoris,  forming  the  island  tribes  of  the  Pacif- 
ic has  been  marvelous.  Maori  soldiers  have  been 
among  the  best  troops  which  New  Zealand  sent  to 
the  front  in  France.  It  is  not  three  generations  since 
their  ancestors  were  naked  savages.  In  1839,  with- 
out teacher  or  missionary,  a  solitary  page  of  the 
catechism  containing  the  Ten  Commandments  led 
one  tribe  to  turn  to  the  true  God,  to  burn  their  idols, 
and  to  keep  the  Sabbath.  One  of  the  beautiful 
stories  of  those  early  days  is  of  Tarore,  the  little 
daughter  of  Ngakuku,  a  converted  chief.  She  always 
carried  her  father's  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  and, 
since  she  knew  how  to  read,  conducted  the  simple 
worship  in  her  father's  hut.  At  one  time  when  he  was 
traveling  with  an  English  party  they  halted  for  the 
night  at  Wairere,  "flying  water,"  and  while  they 
slept  were  attacked  by  a  war  party  of  the  heathen. 
Ngakuku  fled,  carrying  his  little  son,  but  in  the  con- 
fusion Tarore,  sunk  in  sleep,  was  left  behind.  Her 


i82  The  Bible  and  Missions 

murderers  carried  off  her  Gospel  with  the  rest  of  the 
plunder.  The  robber  chieftain  read  it,  repented  of  his 
evil  life,  and  longed  to  join  the  Christians.  He  wrote 
a  letter  to  Ngakuku,  asking  permission  to  enter  the 
chapel,  and  soon  this  Maori  Christian  and  the 
murderer  of  his  child  ''were  worshipping  God  together 
in  the  same  place,"  as  the  Maori  story  has  it. 
Charles  Darwin  Charles  Darwin,  the  great  naturalist, 
testifies.  witnessed  to  the  transformation  which 

the  Bible  had  wrought  in  Tahiti,  one  of  the  Society- 
Islands,  when  he  visited  the  island  in  the  Beagle  in 
1835.  When  the  missionaries  landed  at  Tahiti  in 
1796,  the  islanders  were  sunk  in  incredible  degrada- 
tion. Constant  war,  shameless  and  bestial  immorali- 
ty, cruelty  and  superstition  that  descended  to  human 
sacrifice  darkened  the  land  and  made  life  hideous. 
At  first  there  seemed  to  be  no  higher  self  to  appeal  to; 
the  soul  of  the  people  seemed  seared  as  if  with  a 
branding  iron  of  evil.  But  after  heroic  suffering  and 
faithful  witnessing  to  the  truth  on  the  part  of  the 
missionaries,  they  saw  Ezekiel's  miracle  of  the  valley 
of  the  dry  bones  wrought  once  more.  Mr.  Darwin 
made  an  inland  trip  through  the  island  where  he  had 
every  opportunity  to  observe  the  natives  in  their 
daily  life.  He  wrote: 

"Before  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  sleep,  the  elder  Tahitian 
fell  on  his  knees,  and  with  closed  eyes  repeated  a  long  prayer  in 
his  native  tongue.  He  prayed  as  a  Christian  should  do,  with 
fitting  reverence,  and  without  the  fear  of  ridicule  or  any  ostenta- 
tion of  piety.  At  our  meals  neither  of  the  men  would  taste  food 
without  saying  beforehand  a  short  grace.  Those  travelers  who 
think  that  a  Tahitian  prays  only  when  the  eyes  of  the  missionary 
are  fixed  on  him  should  have  slept  with  us  that  night  on  the 
mountain."  He  goes  onto  discuss  the  rumor  "that  theTahitians 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  183 

had  become  a  gloomy  race,  and  lived  in  fear  of  the  missionaries"; 
he  says:  "Of  the  latter  feeling  I  saw  no  trace,  unless,  indeed,  fear 
and  respect  be  confounded  under  one  name.  Instead  of  discon- 
tent being  a  common  feeling,  it  would  be  difficult  in  Europe  to 
pick  out  of  a  crowd  half  so  many  merry  and  happy  faces."  He 
then  replies  to  those  who  were  ever  ready  to  point  out  still-ex- 
isting defects  in  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  and  blame  the  mission- 
aries for  these.  He  continues:  "They  forget,  or  will  not  remem- 
ber, that  human  sacrifices  and  the  power  of  an  idolatrous  priest- 
hood, a  system  of  profligacy  unparalleled  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world,  infanticide,  a  consequence  of  that  system,  bloody  wars 
where  the  conquerors  spared  neither  women  nor  children, — that 
all  these  have  been  abolished,  and  that  dishonesty,  intemper- 
ance, and  licentiousness  have  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity.  In  a  voyager,  to  forget  these  things 
would  be  base  ingratitude;  for,  should  he  chance  to  be  on  the 
point  of  shipwreck  on  some  unknown  coast,  he  will  devoutly  pray 
that  the  lesson  of  the  missionary  may  have  extended  thus  far." 

Services  of  mis-  The  influence  of  the  missionaries, 
sionaries  to  Pacific  which  is  Only  that  of  the  Bible  in- 
Islanders.  carnated  in  a  human  life,  has   been 

one  of  the  strongest  agencies  acting  in  behalf  of  the 
child  races  of  the  Pacific  Islands  in  opposition  to 
cruel  greed  and  oppression.  They  were  American  mis- 
sionaries who  exposed  the  infamies  of  the  sandal- 
wood trade  and  the  kidnapping  of  islanders  for 
forced  work  in  South  America.  It  was  the  mission- 
ary hero,  Rev.  John  G.  Paton,  whose  revelations  of 
the  iniquities  of  the  liquor  traffic  in  the  South  Seas 
induced  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  and  the 
governments  of  Europe  to  prohibit  by  interna- 
tional agreement  the  sale  of  liquor  to  these  islanders. 
It  was  James  Chalmers,  the  Captain  Greatheart 
of  New  Guinea,  whose  services  made  it  possible  for 
Great  Britain  to  extend  her  sovereignty  over  a  large 
part  of  New  Guinea  without  bloodshed  and  with  a 


184  The  Bible  and  Missions 

scrupulous  safeguarding  of  native  rights  never  be- 
fore known  in  such  an  agreement  between  white  men 
and  savages.  Mr.  Chalmers  was  cordially  hated  by 
land-grabbers  and  kidnappers  of  Kanaka  labor.  His 
influence  with  the  government,  because  of  his  first- 
hand acquaintance  with  conditions  gained  by  years 
of  living  among  these  men  of  the  Stone  Age  was 
sufficient  to  get  incorporated  into  the  government's 
plan  of  administration  and  treaty  with  the  natives 
the  prohibition  of  the  importation  of  firearms,  in- 
toxicants, and  explosives,  the  safeguarding  of  Kana- 
ka labor,  and  the  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  land  by 
a  native  to  a  white  man.  The  commander  of  the 
British  man-of-war  who  saw  these  chieftains  trust- 
ingly affix  their  mark  to  papers  whose  contents  they 
could  not  read,  in  sturdy  confidence  that  "Tamate" 
would  not  betray  them,  had  a  new  vision  of  the  power 
of  Christian  leadership.  When  in  1886  this  militant 
missionary  spoke  of  his  years  among  savages  he 
uttered  this  ringing  testimony  regarding  the  Bible's 
power  to  change  native  races: 

"I  have  had  twcnty-onc  years*  experience  among  natives. 
I  have  seen  the  semiciviHzed  and  the  uncivilized;  I  have  lived 
with  the  Christian  native  and  I  have  lived,  dined,  and  slept  with 

the  cannibals For  at  least  nine  years  of  my  life  I   have 

lived  with  the  savages  of  New  Guinea;  but  I  have  never  yet  met 
with  a  single  man  or  woman,  or  a  single  people,  that  your  civiliza- 
tion without  Christianity  has  civilized Wherever  there  has 

been  the  slightest  spark  of  civilization  in  the  Southern  Seas  it 
has  been  because  the  gospel  has  been  preached  there,  and 
wherever  you  find  in  the  island  of  New  Guinea  a  friendly  people, 
there  the  missionaaries  of  the  Cross  have  been  preaching  Christ. 
Civilizatiom!  The  rampart  can  only  be  stormed  by  those  who  car- 
ry the  Cross." 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  185 

Koreans,  Men  of  Korea  IS  one  of  the  outstanding  in- 
the  Book.  Stances  of  the  transforming  effect  of 

the  Bible.  When  Christianity  entered  in  1884,  the 
whole  people  were  sodden  in  superstition  and  spirit- 
less from  centuries  of  grinding  between  the  upper  and 
the  nether  millstones  of  China  and  Japan.  The  Kore- 
an Government  was  a  mixture  of  corruption  and 
weakness.  Of  public  spirit  there  was  none  visible. 
But  the  Koreans  in  multitudes  have  become  Men  of 
the  Book.  They  have  supported  their  own  churches 
and  built  them;  they  have  sent  their  children  to 
school  and  paid  for  their  schooling.  Of  their  language 
it  can  be  said  as  was  said  of  the  Greek  language,  that 
it  has  *risen  from  the  dead  with  the  New  Testament 
in  its  hand.'  Upon  such  a  people,  newly  awakened 
from  the  sleep  of  centuries,  Japan  imposed  a  policy 
of  forcible  assimilation.  There  are  new  blood  and 
iron  in  the  soul  of  Korea  to  meet  Japan's  policy  of 
*blood  and  iron.'  In  a  resistance  devoid  of  violence, 
but  full  of  quiet  dignity  and  dauntless  courage, 
Korea  has  appealed  to  that  public  opinion  of  the 
world  which  is  itself  the  slow  creation  of  the  Bible's 
pressure  upon  the  soul  of  humanity.  The  suffering 
of  those  who  have  died  is  not  in  vain.  Korea  in  the 
might  of  meekness  has  saved  her  soul.  All  the  gener- 
ous elements  in  Japan  have  been  stirred  to  shame  as 
they  have  read  the  story  of  militarism's  doings  in 
Korea.  Sooner  or  later  Korea  will  win  either  her 
absolute  freedom  or  such  an  honorable  part  in  the 
Empire  of  Japan  as  Canada  has  in  the  British  Em- 
pire. It  will  be  the  Bible's  influence,  the  Bible  that 
put  a  new  soul  into  Korea,  the  Bible  which  is  build- 
ing up  a  new  ideal  in  Japan. 


i86  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Japan's  debt  to  The  outstanding  influence  of  Bible 
the  Bible.  Christianity  in  Japan  has  been  freely- 

acknowledged  by  leading  Japanese  statesmen  and 
thinkers.  The  words  of  Count  Okuma,  the  Prime 
Minister,  sum  up  testimonies  that  might  be  quoted 
from  many  others  to  like  effect: 

"Although  Christianity  has  enrolled  less  than  two  hundred 
thousand  believers  yet  the  direct  influence  of  Christianity  has 

poured  into  every  realm  of  Japanese  life Christianity  has 

afl^ected  us  not  only  in  such  superficial  ways  as  the  observance  of 
Sunday,  but  also  in  our  ideals  concerning  political  institutions, 

the  family,  and  woman's  station Japan  received  Buddhism 

and  Confucianism  from  India,  China,  and  Korea,  and  under  their 
influence  she  declined.  But  under  the  impact  of  Western  Chris- 
tianized thought  Japan  has  revived." 

The  disproportionate  influence  of  Christian  Japanese 
on  their  government  was  clearly  seen  in  the  first 
Parliament  of  1880,  when  out  of  three  hundred 
members  thirteen  were  Christian,  including  the 
Speaker  of  the  House.  It  is  due  to  these  outstanding 
Christians  that  the  Bible's  principles  have  gained 
recognition  in  the  public  life  of  Japan. 
Christian  music  The  music  of  Christianity  has  pro- 
in  Japan.  foundly  modified  the  music  of  Japan. 

When  the  missionaries  first  began  to  teach  the 
children  to  sing  it  was  thought  that  a  special  scale 
would  have  to  be  invented  to  fit  the  Japanese  voice. 
Today  Japanese  choruses  render  the  great  chorals  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  the  Union  Christian  hymnal 
is  one  of  the  best  selling  books  in  Japan. 
Improved  status  The  Bible  teachings  have  already 
of  woman.  profoundly  modified  the  position  of 

the  Japanese  women.  A  new  sacredness  is  accorded 
to  marriage.  From  the  Empress  to  the  humblest  of 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  187 

her  subjects  all  Japanese  women  are  indebted  to 
Christianity  for  their  improved  status.  Christians 
have  been  the  leaders  in  the  determined  war  against 
government-recognized  prostitution,  as  they  have 
in  the  organized  struggle  against  intempera  jce. 
Christian  influence  Prison  reform  in  Japan  received  im- 
in  prison  reform,  petus  in  1 875  when  Dr.  J.  C.  Berry  se- 
cured permission  to  make  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the 
prisons.  His  report  led  directly  to  prison  reform 
throughout  the  Empire.  For  this  service  he  was  years 
later  presented  with  an  Imperial  Decoration.  One  of 
the  immediate  effects  was  the  appointment  of  a 
Christian  as  chaplain  in  the  prison  in  Kobe.  As  a  re- 
sult of  his  teachings  eight  prisoners  formed  themselves 
into  "The  Company  of  the  Covenant."  Later  the 
chaplain  became  superintendent  and  continued  his 
blessed  work.  It  was  at  about  this  time  that  a  group 
of  eighty  convicts  were  reading  Martin's  Evidences 
of  Christianity^  which  an  educated  fellow-prisoner 
was  translating  for  them  into  Japanese.  When  fire 
broke  out  in  the  prison  they  put  out  the  flames  and 
created  no  disorder.  Their  leader  was  pardoned  and 
later  started  a  private  school  in  Otsu. 
Japanese  Chris-  When  the  history  of  Japan  during  the 
tians  influential,  last  thirty  years  is  studied  it  will  be 
found  that  behind  her  wonderful  achievement  there 
has  usually  been  some  man,  Japanese  or  foreigner, 
whose  torch  has  been  kindled  by  the  Light  of  the 
World.  Although  numbering  only  one-half  of  one 
per  cent  of  the  population,  the  Christians  of  Japan 
are  influential  in  all  that  shapes  her  higher  life.  In 
her  public  schools,  her  new  philanthropy,  her  growing 
recognition  of  the  human  rights  of  her  citizens,  in 


i88  The  Bible  and  Missions 

the  currents  of  democracy  now  running  silently  but 
none  the  less  strongly,  Japan  is  influenced  by  the 
nations  most  deeply  influenced  by  the  Bible. 

During  the  present  trouble  in  Korea,  Japanese 
Christians  have  been  fearless  critics  of  the  militaris- 
tic elements  in  their  own  government.  Professor 
Nitobe,  president  of  the  newly  established  Christian 
College  for  Women  in  Tokyo,  has  boldly  condemned 
his  country's  policy  in  Korea.  Rev.  Takashi  Suzuki 
published  in  the  Fukuin  Shimpo,  May  15,  191 9,  an 
article  amazing  in  its  frank  recognition  of  evils  and 
injustices  in  the  Japanese  policy  in  Korea.  The  arti- 
cle has  been  translated  into  English  and  reprinted  in 
the  September  number  of  The  Missionary  Review  of 
the  World.  It  should  be  read  by  any  one  who  desires 
to  measure  the  force  exerted  in  Japanese  life  by  the 
Christian  conceptions  of  right  and  duty.  It  is  to  be 
doubted  whether  America  or  England  could  show  a 
finer  example  of  the  functioning  of  the  Christian 
conscience  on  public  questions. 
Bible  influence  in  The  clearest  illustration  of  the  influ- 
the  opening  of  ence  of  the  Bible  upon  a  great  non- 
China.  Christian  nation  is  China.  That  in- 

fluence is  to  be  traced  to  the  very  beginnings  of 
modern  intercourse  with  China.  The  first  treaty 
negotiated  with  America,  in  1844,  was  accomplished 
through  the  services  of  Rev.  E.  C.  Bridgman  and  Dr. 
Peter  Parker,  two  men  who  in  obedience  to  the  Bible 
had  left  home  and  country  and  become  Chinese  to 
the  Chinese,  that  they  might  win  them  to  Christ. 
Their  knowledge  of  the  people  and  the  language,  and 
the  confidence  which  the  Chinese  felt  toward  them 
were  ^simply  invaluable,'  said  the  Hon.  Caleb  Cush- 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  189 

ing,  that  noble  Christian  statesman.  It  was  this  great 
American  minister  who  secured  in  the  treaty  a  clause 
prohibiting  all  traffic  in  opium  between  the  two 
countries.  The  Chinese  have  long  memories  for  this 
truly  Christian  service.  It  was  through  the  medium 
of  Morrison  and  GiitzlafF  that  England  negotiated 
her  first  treaty. 

Services  of  Amer-  In  the  historic  treaty  of  1858  two 
ican  missionaries.  American  missionaries  rendered  not- 
able services  to  China,  and  the  world.  Dr.  S.  Wells 
Williams  and  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin  were  the  men  who 
secured  the  first  toleration  clause  which  China  had 
ever  granted  in  any  treaty.  The  far-reaching  influ- 
ence of  this  clause  makes  it  a  Magna  Charta  in  the 
story  of  Chinese  freedom  of  thought  and  action. 
Dr.  Williams,  to  whose  persistency,  tact,  and  states- 
manship the  greatest  cred't  is  due  for  this  achieve- 
ment, became  interpreter  to  the  United  States 
Legation  in  Peking,  and  so  remained  until  1876. 
The  Hon.  W.  B.  Reed,  who  was  the  American 
Minister  to  China  when  the  treaty  was  negotiated, 
said:  ''Without  them  (Williams  and  Martin)  public 
business  could  not  be  transacted.  I  could  not  but 
for  their  aid  have  advanced  one  step  in  the  discharge 
of  my  duties  here."  It  was  S.  Wells  Williams  who 
later,  at  the  request  of  Commodore  Perry,  helped  to 
negotiate  the  first  treaty  with  Japan. 
Christian  diplo-  Not  Only  have  American  mission- 
macy  in  China.  aries  deeply  influenced  the  progress 
of  the  Chinese  nation,  but  American  diplomats,  as 
well.  Anson  Burlingame,  American  Minister  to 
China,  was  no  less  missionary  because  he  represented 
the  American  nation.  The  Golden  Rule  diplomacy 


190  The  Bible  and  Missions 

of  John  Hay  was  the  very  genius  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  action.  The  Chinese  can  never  forget  that  it 
was  American  Christianity  and  not  American  gun- 
boats that  saved  her  integrity  when  Hay  challenged 
the  moral  sense  of  the  world  in  behalf  of  the  integrity 
of  China  and  in  opposition  to  schemes  of  selfish  ag- 
grandizement. 

The  Bible  in  the  An  interesting  story  of  the  way  in 
Imperial  Palace,  which  the  Bible  was  brought  to  bear 
on  persons  of  the  highest  influence  in  the  Chinese 
Government  comes  from  the  days  of  the  Empress 
Dowager  in  1896. 

The  Christian  women  of  China  decided  to  present 
a  Bible  to  Her  Majesty  on  the  occasion  of  her 
sixtieth  birthday.  They  contributed  $600  in  gold, 
ten  thousand  of  them  uniting  in  the  gift.  For  the 
first  time  a  Chinese  Bible  penetrated  into  the  Im- 
perial Palace,  when  the  Empress  received  the  sump- 
tuously bound  and  printed  volume.  Two  days  later 
the  Chief  Eunuch  from  the  palace  was  sent  out  to 
buy  a  Bible  and  all  the  Christian  books  he  could  get 
for  the  Emperor.  The  full  account  of  this  visit  of 
the  eunuch  is  found  in  Dr.  Hykes's  pamphlet  ^he 
American  Bible  Society  in  China.  (Centennial  pamp- 
let  No.  12,  Pages  25-26.)  Following  this  first  order 
for  books,  in  1897  the  Emperor  sent  for  a  list  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  books,  some  scientific,  but 
many  religious.  Among  these  books  were  Com- 
mentaries on  the  books  of  the  Bible,  The  Life  of 
Christ,  Benefits  of  Christianity,  Communion  with 
God,  and  four  sermons  by  Mr.  Moody.  The 
effect  of  this  sending  for  Christian  books  by  the 
Emperor  was  plainly  seen  in  the  greatly  increased 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  191 

sales  of  the  Scriptures.  There  is  little  doubt  that  the 
young  Emperor  in  his  inexperience  and  his  new  hope 
for  his  country  was  influenced  by  his  reading  to  put 
forth  his  ill-fated  edicts  for  reform  the  following  year. 
The  reactionary  Empress  Dowager  could  not  de- 
stroy his  proposed  reforms,  though  she  did  delay 
them  and  destroy  the  Emperor.  Many  of  his  reforms 
are  already  established,  others  are  on  the  way. 

Testimony  of  a  In  making  one  of  his  presentations  of 
Chinese  phiian-  Bibles  to  the  gentry  to  which  allusion 
thropist.  j^^g  already  been  made,  Mr.  Yung  Tao, 

the  Chinese  philanthropist,  said: 

"Without  the  aid  of  Christian  ethics  it  is  impossible  to  reform 
society  or  to  expel  evil  from  men's  hearts  so  as  to  produce  a 
strong  and  virtuous  nation.  Many  people  believe  that  God  has  so 
miraculously  preserved  China  for  thousands  of  years  because  he 
has  some  great  future  for  her.  It  may  be.  I  do  not  know.  But  I 
believe  my  country  has  reached  the  supreme  crisis  in  her  history. 
The  next  few  years  will  determine  whether  she  is  to  have  a  great 
and  useful  future  or  is  doomed  to  extinction.  If  she  is  to  endure 
she  must  accept  the  teachings  of  the  Bible.  It  is  only  by  accept- 
ing the  true  God  and  fulfilling  duty  to  him  that  a  nation  can 
endure." 

When  later  Mr.  Yung  Tao  became  a  Christian,  he 
spoke  of  the  missionaries  as  follows: 

"Who  loves  China.''  The  Chinese  people.?  No!  The  merchants .f" 
No!  The  diplomats?  No!  Only  the  missionaries,  who  come  here 
not  asking  to  be  paid,  but  asking  to  be  allowed  merely  to  work 
for  China." 

Christian  educa-  In  every  part  of  Chinese  life  you  can 
tion  back  of  infiu-  trace  the  influence  of  the  Book.  When 
ential  Chinese.  ^^  decree  establishing  Western  edu- 
cation was  made,  missionaries  were  asked  to  become 


192  The  Bible  and  Missions 

the  heads  of  government  schools  and  colleges.  Mis- 
sion-trained men  leaped  into  positions  of  influence. 
If  you  were  to  name  the  twenty  men  most  promi- 
nent in  Chinese  affairs  today,  it  would  be  safe  to 
hazard  the  guess  that  two-thirds  of  them  received 
their  first  education  in  mission  schools.  The  three 
men  who  represented  China  at  the  Peace  Confer- 
ence were  the  products  of  Christian  education, — two 
of  them,  certainly,  outstanding  Christians. 
Influence  of  one  St.  John's  College,  Shanghai,  is  a 
Christian  college,  notable  example  of  the  influence 
which  Christian  education  has  exerted  on  the  na- 
tional awakening  of  the  Chinese.  Although  the  school 
was  established  in  1879,  ^^  ^^^  ^^^  develop  into  a  col- 
lege until  late  in  the  nineties.  From  that  time  until 
June,  1917,  it  had  graduated  but  218  men.  From  this 
small  group  have  come  twelve  men  of  national  or 
international  significance.  They  include  Dr.  W.  W. 
Yen,  late  Minister  to  Germany;  Dr.  V.  K.  Welling- 
ton Koo,  Minister  to  the  United  States  and  one  of 
China's  three  representatives  to  the  Peace  Confer- 
ence; Dr.  Y.  T.  Tsur,  President  of  Tsing  Hwa,  the 
Indemnity  college;  Dr.  Z.  T.  K.  Woo,  Superintendent 
of  the  Hanyang  Iron  and  Steel  Works,  one  of  the 
greatest  steel  plants  in  the  East;  Mr.  S.  C.  Chu,  Gen- 
eral Secretary  of  the  Shanghai-Nanking  Railroad; 
the  late  Mr.  T.  T.  Wang,  Director  General  of  the 
Chinese  Students'  Educational  Commission  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C;  Dr.  Hawkling  L.  Yen,  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs;  Mr.  David  Z.  T.  Yui, 
General  Secretary  of  the  Chinese  Y.M.C.A.;  Rev. 
P.  N.  Tsu,  Rector  of  the  Church  of  Our  Savior;  Dr. 
Yen  Fu  Ching,  Dean  of  the  Medical  Faculty  of 


AMELIA  JOSEPHINE  BURR 

Chairman  of  Commission  to  the  Far  East  on  Christian 

Literature,  appointed  by  Federation  of  Women's 

Boards  of  Foreign  Missions 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  193 

Yale  College  in  China,  and  Judge  W.  Y.  Hu,  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Appeals,  Peking. 
High  officials  cable  During  the  Celebration  of  the  Ameri- 
Am.  Bible  Society,  can  Bible  Society,  held  in  connection 
with  the  Methodist  Centenary  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
last  June,  cable  messages  were  received  from  some  of 
China's  most  powerful  leaders,  among  them  the 
President  of  the  Republic.  Wen  Shih  Tsin,  Commis- 
sioner of  Foreign  Affairs,  cabled:  ''Darkness  and 
gloom  reign  in  China.  The  Bible  is  the  only  remedy 
by  which  we  will  save  China,  cure  the  corrupt  officials 
and  heal  the  ambitious  politicians,  inspire  the  educa- 
tors and  uplift  the  poor;  and  the  best  of  all  is  to  tell 
our  people  how  to  do  righteousness  and  sacrifice  for 
our  own  nation." 

Message  of  a  great  A  distinguished  educator,  Yu-Yue 
educator.  Tsu,  sent  his  message  in  English,  as 

follows:  "The  translation  of  the  Christian  Bible 
into  our  national  language  has  placed  in  the  hands 
of  our  people  a  book  than  which  there  is  none  with 
greater  power  for  moral  uplift  and  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment. The  great  ideas  of  divine  love,  human  brother- 
hood, holiness,  unselfish  service,  all  culminating  in 
the  wonderful  ideal  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth, 
are  emphasized  and  exemplified  in  its  pages  as  no- 
where else.  They  are  powerful  dynamics  in  undoing 
social  wrongs  and  erasing  class  distinctions,  in  human- 
izing social  relationships  and  democratizing  govern- 
ments. They  have  condemned  the  opium  traffic, 
raised  the  st?tus  of  women  and  children,  purified  the 
home,  emancipated  the  slaves,  energized  the  moral 
nature  of  man,  taught  the  value  of  human  life,  pro- 
duced happiness  in  life  and  labor,  and  created  a  new 


194  The  Bible  and  Missions 

conscience  both  for  the  individual  and  for  the  com- 
munity. The  open  Bible,  the  greatest  heritage  of 
Christendom,  is  now  made  accessible  to  China's 
millions,  and  it  will  not  fail  as  their  guide  and  in- 
spirer  in  the  nation's  upward  struggle  for  moral 
perfection  and  spiritual  freedom." 
Message  of  China's  The  President  of  the  Republic  of 
President.  China    cabled    as    follows:  ''The    in- 

struction concerning  all  virtue,  as  contained  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  has  truly 
exerted  an  unlimited  influence  for  good  among  all 
Christians  in  China,  and  has  also  raised  the  standard 
of  all  my  people  along  lines  of  true  progress.  I  ear- 
nestly hope  that  the  future  benefits  derived  from  the 
Holy  Scriptures  will  extend  to  the  ends  of  the  earth 
and  transcend  the  success  of  the  past." 
The  Chinese  Gov-  One  of  the  most  dramatic  indications 
emment  asks  of  the  influence  exerted  by  the  gospel 
Christians  to  pray.  ^^^^  ^he  national  life  of  China  was 
given  on  April  19,  1913.  The  Cabinet  of  the  Chinese 
Government  adopted  on  that  day  the  following 
message,  which  was  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  pro- 
vincial authorities  and  to  the  leaders  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  China: 

"Prayer  is  requested  for  the  National  Assembly  now  in  ses- 
sion; for  the  new  Government;  for  the  President  who  is  to  be 
elected;  for  the  Constitution  of  the  Republic;  that  the  Govern- 
ment may  be  recognized  by  the  powers;  that  peace  may  reign 
within  our  country;  that  strong  and  virtuous  men  may  be  elected 
to  office;  and  that  the  Government  may  be  established  upon  a 
strong  foundation.  Upon  receipt  of  this  telegram  you  are  re- 
quested to  notify  all  churches  in  your  province  that  April 
twenty-seventh  has  been  set  aside  as  a  day  of  prayer  for  the 
nation.  Let  all  take  part." 


The  Influence  of  the  Book  195 

Not  only  was  this  day  of  prayer  ordered,  it  was  wide- 
ly observed  not  only  by  Christian  believers  but  by 
leading  officials,  provincial  and  national. 
The  Bible  going  It  is  an  astounding  fact  that  the 
back  home  again,  great  non-Christian  nations  of  the 
world  have  been  in  league  with  Christian  nations 
in  defense  of  a  cause  whose  taproot  is  the  Bible. 
Outside  of  nations  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Bible 
there  is  not  one  which  has  ever  grasped  the  first 
meanings  of  Democracy.  The  nations  are  looking  to 
one  standard.  They  are  seeing  that  there  is  but  one 
help  out  of  their  present  distresses.  Fresh  light  is 
waiting  to  break  out  of  the  holy  pages — the  only 
source  whence  light  can  come.  **Our  Bible,  our 
Christ,  our  alphabet"  came  from  the  Orient.  Today 
the  Orient,  by  train  and  steamer,  is  coming  to  us  to 
get  back  her  own.  A  great  sense  of  commonalty  is  in 
the  air.  Converging  from  every  nation  men  are 
walking  on  paths  that  lead  to  the  Holy  City  coming 
down  from  God  out  of  Heaven,  and  to  that  united 
humanity  which  has  washed  its  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

"A  glory  gilds  the  sacred  page. 
Majestic  like  the  sun; 

4:  :{:  4:  :(:  :f: 

Its  truths  upon  the  nations  rise. 
They  rise  and  set  no  more." 


OUTLINE  OF  CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Bible,  a  book-making  Book. 

I.  IN  CHRISTIAN  LANDS   LITERARY  INFLUENCE  OF  BIBLE  SEEN. 

I.     In  Stimulating  of  books  and  libraries. 

{style, 
substance. 

3.  In    impression    made    by    English    literature    on    non- 
Christians. 

4.  In  impossibility  of  effacing  its  mark. 

II.  INTRODUCTION    OF    BIBLE    INTO    NON-CHRISTIAN    LANDS    PRO- 
DUCES: 

1.  A  literate  Christian  community. 

2.  Preparation  of  school  text-books. 

3.  Introduction  and  development  of  printing  press  (notable 
presses). 

4.  Agencies  for  preparation  and  distribution  of  Christian 
literature. 

III.  STUDY  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE  AGENCIES. 

1.  The  Tract  Societies. 

2.  Christian  Literature  Societies. 

Illustration:  Work   of   Christian    Literature    Society    of 
China. 

IV.  STIMULATION    OF    LITERARY    ACTIVITIES    IN    NON-CHRISTIAN 
LANDS. 

1.  Writings  of  Japanese  Christians. 

a.  Translation. 

b.  Original  works. 

c.  Illustration,  Japan. 

2.  Christward  currents  in  writings  of  non-Christians. 

3.  Gospel  influence  in  the  daily  press. 

4.  Advertising  Christianity  in  the  newspapers. 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  197 

V.  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  BIBLE  ON  MUSIC  IN  NON-CHRiSTlAN  LANDS. 

I.  Christianity's  gift  of  song. 

1.  The  missionary  and  his  hymnal. 

3.  Popuhirity  of  Christian  hymn  books. 

4.  Oriental  hymn  writers:  Indian. 

VI.  UNMET  NEEDS   FOR  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE. 

I.     Literature  for  the  home. 

Needs  of  women. 

Needs  of  children. 

Illustration,  Child's  Life  of  Jesus. 

Child's  Magazine,  Happy  Childhood. 
1.     Periodical  literature. 

Needs  of  cooperative  publishing. 
3.     An  Adequate  Program. 

Expense  of  program. 

VII.  OUTSTANDING  OPPORTUNITIES   FOR  ADVANCE. 

1.  United  campaign  of  newspaper  publicity. 

2.  Utilization  of  phonetic  script  in  China. 

Its    importance    and    advantages,    overcoming    Chinese 

conservatism. 
America's  possible  contribution  in  printing  of  text-books. 
Opportunity  for  the  Christian  Church. 

VIII.  CONCLUSION. 


CHAPTER  VI, 


THE   LEAVES  OF  THE  TREE 


"The  mere  ethical  teachings  of  the  Bible  would  alone  stamp 
it  as  the  greatest  literary  treasure  of  mankind." 

Goethe. 


A  Book-making  **The  Bible  IS  a  book-making  Book. 
^°°^-  It  is  literature  which  provokes  litera- 

ture/* says  McAfee  in  ^be  Greatest  English  Classic, 
The  statement  is  so  overwhelmingly  true  that  it  is 
difficult  to  illustrate  it  within  the  sharp  limits  of  the 
present  chapter.  No  race,  for  example,  has  ever 
read  the  Bible  without  an  irresistible  desire  to  write 
about  it.  A  flood  of  sermons,  treatises,  histories, 
biographies,  geographies,  books  of  travel,  theologies, 
philosophies,  criticisms,  defenses,  dictionaries,  en- 
cyclopedias, novels,  poems,  has  flowed  from  under 
its  portals  like  the  river  in  Ezekiel's  vision  which 
from  a  rivulet  became  a  torrent,  waters  to  swim  in, 
a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over.  Nor  is  there 
any  sign  of  an  abatement  in  interest.  Apparently 
the  perennial  interest  of  the  Scripture  demands  that 
each  generation  wrestle  afresh  with  its  problems  and 
afresh  record  its  poignant  reactions  to  the  stimulus 
of  the  Book. 

Output  of  books  This  book-germinating  influence  of 
greatest  in  the  Bible  is  marked  when  we  compare 

Christendom.  ^j^^  output  of  books  on  the  part  of 
nations  longest  under  the  Christian  discipline  with 
those  longest  under  that  of  other  great  world  re- 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  199 

ligions.  In  no  one  of  the  Oriental  nations  is  the  out- 
put of  books  comparable  to  that  in  Christian  nations. 
During  the  last  half  century  or  more  in  which  the 
ferment  of  the  gospel  has  been  actively  at  work  in 
nations  like  India,  China,  and  Japan,  the  effect  upon 
the  writing  of  books,  as  well  as  upon  political  and 
social  institutions,  has  been  clearly  seen.  In  Oriental 
nations,  like  Tibet  and  Turkestan,  and  in  Morocco, 
as  yet  virtually  closed  to  the  Bible,  conditions  re- 
main such  as  they  were  in  the  entire  Orient  when  the 
era  of  modern  missions  began.  Furthermore,  the 
accessibility  of  the  Bible  and  its  wide  diffusion 
among  the  people  of  Christian  nations  seem  to  be 
in  direct  relation  to  the  amount  and  quality  of  the 
literary  output. 

Christianity  Take  for  example  the  matter  of  pub- 
develops  a  lie  libraries  as  it  is  so  strikingly 
book-reading  brought  out  in  President  Tenny's 
public.  Contrasts  i72  Social  Progress,     He  says 

"There  is  no  point  of  difference  between  Christian  and  non- 
Christian  literature  more  notable  than  that  relating  to  the  pop- 
ularization of  books.  The  Turkish  Empire  would  have  today 
ten  millions  of  books  in  local  libraries,  scattered  here  and  there 
in  different  cities  and  towns,  if  Islam  favored  popular  education 
by  literature  as  much  as  Christianity  did  in  Great  Britain  in 
1880.  Take  Persia,  where  the  people  are  nearly  all  Mohamme- 
dans; that  kingdom  would  have  today  eight  hundred  libraries 
with  six  and  a  quarter  millions  of  books  in  them,  if  their  religion 
favored  popular  reading  as  much  as  Christianity  in  the  United 
States.  Two  hundred  millions  of  books  would  be  upon  the 
shelves  of  native  libraries  in  India  open  to  the  reading  of  all 
castes,  if  Brahmanism  were  the  match  of  Christianity  in  America 
for  diffusing  education  by  books.  Here  is  Buddhism;  there 
ought  to  be  more  than  thirty-five  hundred  libraries  here  and 
there  in  Japan,  with  almost  thirty  millions  of  volumes  in  them. 


20D  The  Bible  and  Missions 

and  there  ought  to  be  more  than  ten  milHons  of  books  in  the 
native  Hbraries  of  Ceylon,  Siam,  and  Burma  today,  if  their  faith 
were  as  good  a  popular  educator  by  books  as  Christianity  is 
today  in  the  United  States.  China,  the  most  literary  ot  the 
non-Christian  nations,  has  no  books  to  speak  of,  aside  from  one 
library  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand  volumes,  and 
small  libraries  in  the  eighteen  provinces,  and  little  gatherings  of 
books  in  the  Buddhist  monasteries;  but  if  Confucianism  were  as 
good  a  patron  of  books  as  Christianity  in  America,  there  would 
be  in  the  Celestial  Kingdom  today  more  than  twenty-nine  thou- 
sand libraries,  each  averaging  eighty-five  hundred  volumes. 
Christianity  is  a  reading  religion.  When  Saul,  in  the  old  story, 
saw  any  strong  man,  or  any  valiant  man,  he  took  him  unto  him- 
self. Strong  and  valiant  books  are  in  demand  throughout  Christen- 
dom.    'The  mighty  men  of  valor  are  the  men  of  ideas.'' 

The  Book  Not  only  is   it   true   that   the   Bible 

permeates  breeds  books  about  itself,  and  devel- 

hterature.  ^^^  ^  book-reading  people;  the  Book 

also  enters  into  and  permeates  the  literature  of 
Christian  peoples.  This  is  true  in  English  literature 
to  an  extent  little  dreamed  of.  We  are  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  fact  that  we  fail  to  realize  its  signifi- 
cance. The  very  titles  of  the  books  we  read  are 
redolent  of  the  Bible.  A  few  examples  may  be 
given,  taken  quite  at  random  from  the  multitude 
that  might  be  cited.  Mrs.  Wharton's  House  of 
Mirthy  Basil  King's  Abraham  s  Bosom^  Rupert 
Hughes's  ne  Unpardonable  Sin,  Ibanez's  The  Four 
Horsemen  of  the  Apocalypse,  are  a  few  current  titles. 
Dipping  into  the  past  we  recall  Ruskin's  Crown  of 
Wild  Olives,  Unto  this  Last,  Seven  Lamps  of  Archi- 
tecture, Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  Samson  Agonistes, 
Byron's  Jephthas  Daughter,  Cain,  Browning's  Bells 
and  Pomegranates,  Saul,  Easter  Morning,  Christmas 
Eve,  Dryden's  Absalom  and  Achitophel,  Whittier's 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  201 

Ichabod.  If  we  turn  from  titles  to  substance  we  go 
from  the  shallows  to  the  deep  sea.  Dr.  Furnivall 
says  that  ''Shakespeare  is  saturated  with  the  Bible 
story."  Milton  is  scriptural  in  the  very  fabric  of 
his  diction.  The  Pilgrim 's  Progress  is  compounded  of 
Biblical  phraseology  and  ideas.  From  it  Thackeray 
drew  the  title  of  his  Vanity  Fair,  though  he  took  the 
motto  of  the  book  directly  from  the  Bible.  The 
Biblical  phrases,  quotations,  and  allusions  in  Brown- 
ing are  so  numerous  as  to  obscure  his  thought  to  one 
not  familiar  with  the  Bible.  Some  one  has  counted 
five  hundred  such  in  ne  Ring  and  the  Book  alone, 
McAfee  tells  us.  Longfellow's  most  exquisite  meta- 
phors and  similes  are  taken  bodily  from  the  Bible. 
VanDyke  has  found  four  hundred  direct  references 
to  the  Bible  in  Tennyson,  and  that  leaves  out  those 
subtler  echoes  and  nuances  with  which  his  pages  are 
so  full  that  no  one  whose  mind  is  not  steeped  in  the 
Bible  can  really  appreciate  him.  Ruskin  is  a  classic 
illustration  of  a  literary  style  formed  on  the  Bible. 
Familiarity  with  the  Bible  is  stamped  on  the  pages  of 
Scott,  Dickens,  Macaulay,  Lowell,  Whittier,  and  a 
score  of  other  names  familiar  wherever  English  and 
American  books  are  read.  Even  writers  avowedly 
out  of  sympathy  with  the  Bible  can  not  avoid  in- 
debtedness to  it,  as  for  example,  Shelley,  when  he 
writes,  ''Their  errors  have  been  weighed  and  found 
to  have  been  dust  in  the  balance;  if  their  sins  are 
scarlet,  they  are  now  white  as  snow,  they  have  been 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  mediator  and  redeemer, 
Time."  On  one  editorial  page  of  a  recent  number 
of  Collier's  Weekly  the  following  Bible  phrases  or 
allusions  were  found:  "Hiram,  King  of  Tyre";  "Go 


202  The  Bible  and  Missions 

down  to  the  sea  in  ships'*;  "Six  days  shalt  thou 
labor";  ''And  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man 
his  neighbor." 

English  literature  The  realization  of  this  saturation  of 
interprets  Chris-  English  literature  with  the  Bible  came 
tianity  to  Japan,  ^i^}^  poignancy  to  an  American  col- 
lege woman  who,  while  spending  a  winter  in  Tokyo, 
was  asked  to  fill  temporarily  a  vacancy  which  had 
been  caused  by  death  in  the  faculty  of  the  Peeresses 
School.  She  said  to  a  friend  later,  ''Until  those 
eager  girls  asked  me,  day  after  day,  to  explain  the 
meaning  of  this  figure  of  speech  or  that  phrase  or 
that  allusion  or  proper  name,  I  had  no  idea  of  the 
way  that  the  Bible  entered  into  the  very  structure 
of  our  literature."  Professor  Nitobe  of  the  Imperial 
University  in  Tokyo  has  testified  that  it  was  the  in- 
direct presentation  of  Christian  truth  through  works 
of  English  literature  during  a  period  in  which  he  had 
denied  to  the  missionaries  any  access  to  his  soul, 
that  led  him  to  accept  the  Christian  faith. 
Impossibility  of  The  all-penetrating  influence  of  the 
blotting  out  Bible  on  modern  literature  may  be 

Bible  realized  by  an  attempt  to  root  it  out, 

influence.  yj^  should  need  to  burn  all  Bibles. 

Testaments,  and  hymn  books;  then  to  mutilate  every 
law  book  and  commentary;  to  black  out  page  after 
page  in  the  works  of  the  poets  and  to  destroy  entire 
books  whose  titles  were  Biblical.  Hardly  a  novel 
of  any  standing  would  remain  intact.  The  essays, 
histories,  and  biographies  would  be  sadly  mutilated. 
The  works  of  Huxley,  Tyndall,  Spencer,  and  other 
scientists  would  not  escape  the  tearing  out  of  no 
inconsiderable    portions.     The    greatest    works    of 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  203 

music  would  perish.  The  masterpieces  of  painting 
and  sculpture  would  be  defaced  or  destroyed.  The 
most  sublime  buildings  of  Europe  and  America 
would  need  to  be  dynamited.  Into  every  cemetery 
the  iconoclast  would  go  to  chisel  from  the  tombs 
the  words  of  hope.  The  motto  would  need  to  be 
chipped  from  the  walls  of  the  Harvard  Law  School 
and  from  the  great  seal  of  this  and  other  universities. 
Not  a  library  could  escape  unscathed;  not  a  church 
building  be  left  standing.  When  all  this  were  done 
the  Bible  would  remain  indestructible  in  the  memo- 
ry of  living  men.  To  say  nothing  of  Western  na- 
tions, there  are  school  children  in  China  and  Japan 
who  can  repeat  the  entire  New  Testament  from 
memory.  There  are  not  a  few  Scotch  Christians  who 
have  committed  the  Psalms  and  Isaiah  to  memory. 
It  is  perfectly  within  the  bounds  of  fact  to  assert  that 
in  some  heart  each  portion  of  Scripture  is  cherished, 
so  that  it  could  be  reproduced  were  the  printed  record 
lost.  To  destroy  the  influence  of  the  Bible  it  would 
be  necessary  to  massacre  every  Christian,  and  even 
this  would  not  be  enough,  for  in  their  death  they 
would  surely  repeat  some  precious  word  that  could 
be  erased  from  the  memory  of  their  murderers  no 
more  readily  than  could  Paul  forget  Stephen's  face 
and  Stephen's  dying  prayer. 

The  Bible  Dealing  with  such  a  book  we   may 

transplanted  naturally  expect  that  the  result  of  its 

creates  demand  planting  in  non-Christian  lands  has 
for  books.  fruited  in  a  new  love  and  a  new  de- 

mand for  Christian  books.  The  tree  of  the  gospel 
planted  in  the  garden  of  human  life  canopies  itself 
with  leaves  that  are  the  healing  of  the  nations. 


204  The  Bible  and  Missions 

(1)  By  creating  The  Bible  creates  a  hunger  for  books 
a  literate  by  producing  a  generation  of  readers, 
constituency.  The  idea  of  putting  the  tool  of  literacy 
in  the  hands  of  common  men  is  itself  an  offshoot  of 
democracy  which  is  the  creation  of  Christianity. 
All  the  so-called  democracies  of  ancient  times  were 
in  truth  democracies  within  the  crassest  class  oli- 
garchies. The  conception  of  one  body  politic,  social, 
religious,  for  all  mankind,  is  born  of  the  teaching  and 
lite  of  Jesus,  and  is  yet  to  be  fully  recognized  even  in 
nations  calling  themselves  Christian.  It  is  then  to 
be  expected  that  only  in  nations  where  the  common 
people  are  recognized  as  having  some  share  and  stake 
in  government  has  the  experiment  of  universal  edu- 
cation been  attempted.  Japan,  the  one  seeming  ex- 
ception, is  none  in  reality,  since  Japan  transplanted 
the  idea  bodily  from  Christian  countries.  When 
Christian  missionaries  go  to  a  new  land,  they  carry 
the  Bible  as  the  vehicle  for  their  message.  They  are 
forced  to  begin  to  teach  people  to  read  in  order  that 
the  Bible  may  convey  the  message.  This  leads  to 
the  turning  out  from  the  Christian  schools  in  every 
land  multitudes  of  potential  readers  every  year. 

(2)  By  preparation  In  Setting  Up  this  institution  for 
of  text -books.  teaching  the  revolutionary  art  of 
reading,  the  missionaries  have  carried  on  other  edu- 
cational enterprises.  Reading,  writing,  and  arith- 
metic, not  to  mention  other  subjects,  have  all  had  to 
be  taught.  This  has  meant  in  many  cases  the  form- 
ing of  the  tools  of  education  in  process  of  setting  up 
the  schools.  One  effect  of  taking  the  Bible  to 
non-Christian  lands  has  been  to  plunge  the  mission- 
aries into  the  task  of  writing  school  text-books.     It 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  205 

is  safe  to  say  that  the  bulk  of  the  spellers,  readers, 
arithmetics,  geographies,  and  histories  introduced 
into  Asia  during  the  nineteenth  century  were  the 
work  of  missionaries  or  their  pupils.  To  take  but 
two  illustrations  out  of  a  multitude:  In  Burma,  in 
1913,  one  of  the  numerous  editions  of  Stillman*s 
Arithmetic  was  going  through  the  press  at  Rangoon. 
So  closely  did  this  pioneer  missionary  of  two  genera- 
tions past  fit  his  presentations  and  examples  of 
arithmetical  truth  to  Burmese  life  that  no  later 
arithmetic  has  been  able  to  replace  it  in  the  schools 
of  Burma.  The  School  History  of  Egypt  in  use  in 
Government  schools  was  written  by  a  Christian 
Egyptian  woman,  the  first  of  the  nation  to  receive  a 
college  degree  in  the  Woman's  Christian  College  of 
Cairo. 

(3)  By  creation  The  preparation  or  translation  of  text- 
ofnew  books   by   the  missionaries   for   their 

industnes.  Christian  schools  led  to  the  creation 

of  new  industries.  Sometimes  rude  printing  presses 
and  fonts  of  type  were  laboriously  improvised  by  the 
missionaries,  as  in  the  case  of  John  Williams  in  the 
South  Seas  or  William  Duncan  among  the  Cree 
Indians.  More  often  printing  presses  were  imported 
and  the  natives  taught  to  run  them.  The  super- 
human efforts  necessary  to  procure  or  manufacture 
proper  type  and  get  a  press  actually  in  operation 
are  one  of  the  romances  of  missions. 
Notable  Notable  missionary  presses   are   the 

Mission  Presses.  Baptist  Press  at  Rangoon,  where  the 
Bibles,  Christian  literature,  and  many  of  the  educa- 
tional books  for  polyglot  Burma  have  been  printed 
for  the  last  seventy-five  years;  the  Methodist  Episco- 


2o6  The  Bible  and  Missions 

pal  Press  at  Lucknow,  with  about  two  hundred  em- 
ployees and  an  annual  output  of  74,600,000  pages; 
the  Presbyterian  Mission  Press  at  Beirut,  where  the 
Bible  for  200,000,000  Moslems  and  a  large  propor- 
tion of  all  the  Arabic  text-books  of  the  world  are 
printed.  There  are  more  than  160  mission  presses 
in  the  different  fields,  scattered  among  the  societies 
of  all  denominations.  Some  of  them  are  busy  little 
presses  like  that  at  Goom  on  the  borders  of  Tibet, 
where  the  Scandinavian  Alliance  Mission  is  printing 
Bibles  to  smuggle  into  that  closed  land.  Others  are 
great  business  enterprises  like  the  Presbyterian  Press 
at  Shanghai.  It  was  a  group  of  young  Chinese 
Christians  trained  in  this  press  who  organized  the 
Commercial  Press,  Limited,  of  Shanghai.  Begin- 
ning in  a  small  way,  this  publishing  house  is  today 
the  largest  in  all  Asia.  It  is  equipped  with  the  most 
modern  presses,  imports  paper  stock  from  Austria, 
Sweden,  England,  and  Japan,  and  prints  two-thirds 
of  the  text-books  of  China.  Best  of  all,  this  firm  is 
thoroughly  Christian,  with  standards  in  regard  to 
sanitary  conditions,  wages,  and  welfare  work  that 
would  put  to  shame  all  but  the  most  advanced  busi- 
ness concerns  of  the  West. 

Work  of  To    meet    the    growing    demand    for 

Tract  Societies.  books  Created  by  the  missionary 
schools,  special  societies  have  been  organized,  such 
as  the  American  Tract  Society  and  the  Christian 
Literature  Societies  of  India,  China,  and  Japan.  The 
work  of  the  tract  societies  is  a  romance  by  itself. 
A  tract  is  the  outward  and  visible  budding  of  a 
growing  cause.  Whether  political,  scientific,  or  re- 
ligious, all  causes  are  alike  in  this,  that  they  inevit- 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  207 

ably  break  into  tracts — a  sort  of  hand-clapping  to 
attract  attention.  Neither  should  the  tract  be 
despised  because  of  its  ephemeral  nature  and  humble 
form.  Tracts  are  the  true  stuff  out  of  which  revolu- 
tions are  built.  The  big  books  move  too  slowly  to 
catch  the  crowd.  Elaborate  explanations  prove 
exhausting  to  the  attention  of  the  unthinking.  A 
tract  catches  the  eye  of  the  man  as  he  runs,  finds 
him  as  he  rests  by  the  way,  speaks  to  him  in  the 
homely  colloquial  of  his  daily  speech.  The  Re- 
ligious Tract  Society  of  London  and  the  American 
Tract  Society  stand  in  the  same  relation  to  the  pro- 
duction and  distribution  of  tracts  as  do  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  the  American  Bible 
Society  to  the  circulation  of  the  Bible. 
Christian  The    Christian    Literature   Societies' 

Literature  Society  aim  is  Other  than  that  of  the  Tract 
of  China.  Society.     Their    field    is    education 

rather  than  propaganda.  Recognizing  the  keen 
hunger  for  books  on  the  part  of  the  awakening  na- 
tions of  the  East,  they  seek  to  meet  it  by  making 
available  the  riches  of  the  Christian  literature  of  the 
West  through  translation  and  by  stimulating  the 
development  of  native  literature.  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  these  societies  is  the  Christian  Litera- 
ture Society  of  China.  After  the  death  of  its  founder. 
Dr.  Alexander  Williamson,  in  1891,  Rev.  Timo- 
thy Richard,  a  Welsh  Baptist  missionary,  became 
the  Secretary  of  the  Society.  Under  his  dynamic 
leadership  the  organization  became  one  of  the  might- 
iest powers  in  the  transformation  of  China.  Begin- 
ning with  assets  of  only  j^iooo,  he  drew  about  him  a 
splendid  body  of  Chinese  and  European  editors  and 


2o8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

translators,  accumulated  property  for  the  Society  to 
the  value  of  $225,000,  and  poured  forth  an  ever  in- 
creasing flood  of  life-giving  books  into  the  muddy 
stretches  of  the  national  life.  He  was  known 
throughout  China  by  the  Chinese  version  ot  his 
given  name,  Teem-o-ti.  The  emperor,  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  great  services,  ennobled  his  an  cestorsfor 
three  generations  (an  attention  peculiarly  treasured 
by  the  Chinese),  and  made  Dr.  Richard  himself  a 
Mandarin  with  the  button  of  the  highest  grade. 
Timothy  Richard's  ^^-  Richard  was  one  of  the  first  to  see 
great  the  Strategic  importance  of  books  in 

achievement.  awakening  the  mighty  Chinese  nation 

from  its  sleep.  He  translated  the  word  Christian 
in  no  narrow  way,  but  in  addition  to  books  of  devo- 
tion and  Biblical  exposition  published  works  of  the 
widest  range  of  interest.  A  little  of  the  scope  of  the 
Society's  work  may  be  understood  by  listing  a  few 
titles:  International  Law ^  'The  German  Empire^  Sixty 
Years  of  ^ueen  Victoria,  Life  of  Luther,  Biographical 
Sketches  of  the  Presidents  of  the  United  States,  Guizot's 
History  of  European  Civilization,  Tea  Cultivation, 
Science  and  Alcohol,  The  Romance  of  Medicine,  His- 
tory of  Western  Ethics,  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  Polit- 
ical Economy,  History  of  Socialism,  Primer  of  Sani- 
tation, Physical  Education,  Training  of  Children. 
In  all  his  provision  for  adults,  the  children  were  not 
forgotten,  as  witness  the  translation  of  Little  Lord 
Fauntleroy. 

Christian  books  When  the  young  emperor  sent  out 
for  Kuang  his  eunuchs  for  books,  he  had  to  de- 

^^^*  pend  chiefly  upon  the  Christian  Lit- 

erature Society  for  those  dealing  with  the   history 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  209 

and  civilization  of  Western  nations.  Among  others 
he  received  Mackenzie's  History  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century.  The  Russian  Ambassador  was  quite  natu- 
rally shocked  when  he  learned  that  the  young  em- 
peror was  deeply  impressed  by  the  book.  He  warned 
the  emperor  of  its  dangerous  quality,  and  thus  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  the  book  to  the  attention  of  one 
of  the  viceroys,  who  in  turn  was  so  impressed  that  he 
presented  a  copy  to  the  viceroys  of  the  seventeen 
other  Chinese  provinces.  In  presenting  the  book  he 
urged  them  to  read  it,  saying  that  a  civilization  that 
could  make  such  an  advance  in  one  century  was 
one  of  which  China  could  not  afford  to  be  ignor- 
ant. 

Wide  branching  Through  literally  hundreds  of  similar 
topics  of  Chris-  illustrations  which  might  be  given, 
tian  literature.  j^.  j^  dearly  evident  that  forces  liber- 
ated in  the  bringing  of  the  Bible  to  China  have  been 
at  the  very  heart  of  the  momentous  changes  taking 
place  in  that  country  during  the  last  quarter  century. 
The  number  of  distinctively  religious  books  and 
pamphlets  published  by  the  Society  is  very  great, 
and  ranges  from  a  translation  of  Hastings's  Bible 
Dictionary  to  a  series  of  large  and  attractive  posters 
printed  in  red  with  the  flag  of  the  Republic  repro- 
duced in  colors.  The  posters  deal  with  religion  in 
relation  to  the  State,  Education,  the  Home.  A  Life 
of  Christ,  notes  on  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Church 
History,  Object  Lessons  for  Children,  Studies  in  the 
New  Testament,  Christianity  and  Civil  Government 
are  a  few  of  the  wide-branching  topics  on  which 
Chinese  Christians  desire  to  be  informed. 


2IO  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Christian  Not  least  important  among  the  ac- 

periodicai  tivities  of  the  Society  is  the  publica- 

literature.  ^.Jqj^  of  periodical  literature.     The  one 

magazine  for  women  discusses  topics  so  familiar  to 
American  women  in  their  own  similar  magazines — 
home  making,  child  training,  child  psychology, 
school  sanitation,  kindergarten  games,  etc.,  etc.  The 
department  of  poetry  contains  translations  from  well- 
known  English  poems  as  well  as  original  matter. 
Bible  lessons,  devotional  pages,  travel  talks,  sketches 
of  famous  women  make  up  a  magazine  that  is  a  boon 
to  Chinese  women,  as  it  is  the  only  publication  of 
the  sort  in  China. 

First  Chinese  The  growing  power  and  self-con- 
Christian  sciousness  of  the  Chinese  Church  were 

newspaper.  shown  in  1912  in  the  establishment  of 

the  first  Christian  Daily  Newspaper  in  China,  Great 
Light  Daily ^  edited  by  Mr.  Leang  Chi  Sheng. 
First  magazine       The  Christian  Literature  Society  has 
for  children.  the  further  distinction  of  publishing 

Happy  Childhood,  the  only  children's  magazine  in  the 
Chinese  language.  That  the  magazine  is  appreciated 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  its  subscribers  are  found  in 
all  classes,  in  every  province  in  China,  and  also  in 
Hawaii,  Malaysia,  the  Philippines,  America,  and  in 
England,  where  there  are  Chinese  children. 
Literary  output  of  There  is  no  non-Christian  land  where 
Japanese  Chris-  the  Output  of  Christian  books  is 
tians:  translations,  larger  or  more  influential  than  in 
Japan.  Japanese  Christians  are  busily  translating 
a  multitude  of  useful  books.  Simpson's  Fact  of 
Christ,  Anderson's  Man  of  Nazareth,  J.  R.  Miller's 
Story  of  Joseph,  biographies  of  Moody  and  Judson, 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  211 

FosdicW  sThe  Meaning  of  Prayer, TohtoVs  My  Re/igion, 
Gordon's  ^uie(  'Talks  on  Prayer,  Bowne's  Theism, 
Smiles's  Self  Help,  Miss  Porter's  Pollyanna,  and 
Wallace's  Ben  Hur  are  a  few  of  those  mentioned  in 
the  report  of  1917. 

Literary  output  of  Japanese  Christians  are  writing  books 
Japanese  Chris-  of  their  own,  too.  Mr.  Horiguchi 
tians:  original  wrote  a  volume  of  Studies  in  the 
works.  Minor  Prophets,  Mr.  Kuranaga,  Fifty 

Studies  in  the  Gospel  of  John,  Mr.  Kamizawa,  ^.  Life 
of  Christ,  Col.  Yamamuro  of  the  Salvation  Army,  a 
Life  of  Christ  in  Common  Speech.  Sixty-one  thou- 
sand copies  of  this  author's  The  Gospel  for  the  Com- 
mon People  have  been  sold.  There  are  books  on  the 
Holy  Land,  the  Life  of  St.  Paul,  sermons,  lectures, 
essays,  stories  for  young  people,  books  on  Sunday 
School  organization,  and  teaching,  and  devotional 
books.  A  notable  one  among  the  latter  class  was 
Under  the  Shadow  of  Thy  Wings  (to  translate  its 
Japanese  title)  by  Miss  Zako  Aiko.  The  author  is 
an  invalid,  suffering  much  in  body  but  triumphant 
in  soul.  Her  brief  essays  are  described  as  'prose 
poems'  likely  to  become  classics  in  their  ministry  of 
cheer  to  the  suffering.  Professor  TsunajimaofWaseda 
University,  after  losing  his  faith,  recovered  it  when 
he  gained  a  new  vision  of  God  during  a  time  of  illness. 
His  book  The  Experience  of  Seeing  God  has  explained 
the  meaning  of  faith  to  multitudes. 
Christian  There  are  deep,  Christward  currents 

literature  outside  in  Japan  as  in  other  countries  which 
the  Church.  ^^^  outside    the    Church.     One  evi- 

dence of  this  is  found  in  the  books  written  by  those 
who  are  not  avowed  Christians.     Tolstoi's  writings 


212  The  Bible  and  Missions 

have  exerted  a  great  influence  in  Japan  through  the 
translation  of  his  complete  works.  There  are  Tol- 
stoi clubs  among  students  and  a  magazine  devoted 
to  the  discussion  and  interpretation  of  his  writings. 
''Resurrection  has  appeared  everywhere  in  moving 
pictures, "says  The  Christian  Movement  in  J apan^\()\()y 
"and  has  exerted  an  unquestioned  influence  for  good 
among  wide  classes  of  society.  The  Prayer  to  God 
of  the  heroine,  Katuscha,  sung  by  thousands  in 
Japan,  is  part  of  the  story  of  Nebdorf's  repentance 
and  experience  of  Christ's  resurrection."  Another 
book  mentioned  is  Go  Go  no  Haru  (The  Spring  of  Five 
Times  Five),  a  book  by  a  young  writer  named  Kawa- 
no,  which  has  had  a  profound  effect  upon  the  student 
world.  Although  Kawano  never  entered  a  Christian 
church  he  bought  a  penny  Testament  which  he  read 
while  a  student  at  Waseda  University.  In  his  book 
which  has  sold  by  the  tens  of  thousands  he  tells  of  the 
blessing  he  received  from  his  little  Testament,  eu- 
logizes its  power,  and  speaks  of  Christ  and  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount. 

Buddhist  The   influence   of  the   Bible   can   be 

approaches.  traced  in  books  even  further  removed 

from  organic  Christianity  than  the  above.  Some  of 
the  leaders  of  new  Buddhism  frankly  appropriate 
some  of  the  leading  ideas  of  Christianity.  Idolatry 
is  abolished  and  the  movement  leans  towards  Chris- 
tianity with  no  sense  of  antagonism.  One  group  of 
Buddhist  ascetics  has  taken  the  Lord's  Prayer  as 
its  motto.  Two  recent  books  of  essays  are  listed 
by  The  Christian  Movement  in  Japan,  191 9?  ^s  **es- 
sentially  Christian,"  i.e.,  books  that  could  not  have 
been  written  apart  from  the  impact  of  Bible  ideals 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  213 

and  teachings  upon  the  soul  of  Japan.  Cain  and 
His  Descent  by  Arishima  and  New  Spring  by  Toku- 
tomi  are  the  two  books  mentioned.  The  latter, 
which  is  a  record  of  profoundly  Christian  experiences, 
passed  through  104  editions  in  less  than  one  year. 

The  gospel  in  A  touch  of  interest  is  added  to  the 
the  daily  press.  story  of  the  slow  but  sure  penetra- 
tions of  Christian  ideals  into  Japan  through  the 
printed  pages  to  read  that  one  newspaper  ran  as  a 
serial  a  translation  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  A  Minister  s 
Wooing  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  picture  of  the 
religious  life  in  New  England  of  the  long  ago.  A 
Tokyo  newspaper  ran  the  Life  of  Christ  in  serial  form 
a  few  years  ago;  and  an  Osaka  newspaper  ran  two 
prize  novels  as  serials.  Both  were  by  Christian 
writers,  one  of  them  dealing  with  the  power  of  prayer. 

Advertising  ^^^  o^  ^^  most  hopeful  developments 

Christianity  has  been  the  utilizing  of  the  daily  press 

in  the  for  the  spread  of  Christian  truth  by 

newspapers.  means  of  paid  advertising.     The  pro- 

ject was  conceived  by  Rev.  Albertus  Pieters  of  Oita 
who  began  some  years  ago  to  explain  the  funda- 
mental teachings  of  Christianity  in  the  daily  press. 
Readers  of  his  masterly  advertisements  were  told 
that  they  could  secure  further  literature  by  writing 
to  him.  They  were  also  invited  to  ask  questions. 
His  experiment  disclosed  how  far  these  newspa- 
pers circulated,  as  letters  began  to  reach  him  from 
widely  separated  localities.  A  careful  card  index 
of  inquirers  was  made  and  a  systematic  follow-up 
work  of  correspondence  began. 


214  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Result  The  results  of  this  campaign  of  gospel 

of  gospel  advertising    have    been    surprisingly 

advertising.  g^^^^     j^e    prefecture    of   Oita,    in 

which  Dr.  Pieters  has  been  demonstrating  his  method 
of  gospel  seed-sowing  through  the  medium  of  the 
daily  papers,  has  a  population  of  900,000.  After 
several  years  of  such  cultivation  the  statement  is 
boldly  made  that  there  is  not  a  hamlet  containing 
twenty  houses  in  the  entire  prefecture,  in  which  some- 
one does  not  know  the  outstanding  facts  of  the  gospel. 

"One  Episcopal  worker  whose  duties  take  him  over  large 
parts  of  Oita  prefecture  declares  that  he  has  no  words  to  describe 
what  this  work  has  done,  both  in  arousing  interest  among  non- 
Christians  and  in  nourishing  the  faith  of  scattered  Christians. 
A  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  over  ten  years'  experience 
in  the  prefecture  declares  the  change  beyond  imagining." 

Expansion  Convinced  that  there  are  great  possi- 

of  newspaper  bilities  of  Usefulness  in  the  enlarged 

advertising.  ^gg  ^f  ^.j^^  newspapers  as  a  medium 

of  spreading  the  gospel,  Dr.  Pieters  has  organized 
an  Association  for  the  Promotion  of  Newspaper 
Evangelism.  He  is  showing  that  at  far  smaller  ex- 
pense a  larger  nuijiber  of  people  can  be  reached 
through  the  newspapers  than  through  the  distribu- 
tion of  tracts.  He  proposes  that  the  Christian  bod- 
ies engaged  in  missionary  work  in  Japan  shall  raise 
a  fund  of  $250,000  to  carry  newspaper  evangelism 
into  every  corner  of  the  Empire.  He  suggests  that 
Japanese  Christians  such  as  Mr.  Kanamori,  Col. 
Yamamuro,  and  Mr.  Mitami  be  engaged  to  write, 
in  the  simple,  stirring  style  which  they  command, 
the  vital  truths  of  the  gospel.  A  fund  like  this, 
available  each  year,  would  carry  the  gospel  within 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  215 

twenty  years  into  the  remotest  corners  of  the  empire. 
The  good  idea  is  spreading  into  other  lands,  is  to  be 
tried,  it  is  said,  by  the  China  Continuation  Com- 
mittee, by  Mr.  MacLeod  in  Formosa,  and  Dr.  Zwem- 
er  in  Egypt. 

Publish  Possibilities  of  tremendous  good  are 

glad  tidings.  opened  up.     It  was   the  Bible   that 

bade  us  lift  up  our  voices  and  cry  aloud  and  tell  out 
among  the  people  the  glorious  news  of  the  gospel. 
Too  often  the  news  has  been  whispered  or  droned  or 
repeated  lifelessly  in  a  corner.  The  wonderful 
publicity  program  of  the  Government  during  the 
great  war  has  proved  that  it  is  as  easy  to  sell  ideas 
to  the  people  as  to  sell  goods,  if  it  is  attempted  in  the 
right  way,  on  a  proper  scale.  Why  is  it  not  possible, 
in  America,  as  well  as  in  the  Orient,  to  utilize  the 
newspapers  in  merchandising  Wisdom.^  Why  could 
not  the  National  Chamber  of  Commerce  through  a 
worthy  campaign  of  advertising  in  Japanese  news- 
papers sell  America  to  the  Japanese, — to  use  an  ad- 
vertising term.^  The  papers  of  Japan  are  flooded 
with  malicious  rumors  about  America's  sinister  de- 
signs on  Japan:  why  not  give  them  an  advertising 
campaign  of  truth  .f* 

The  singing  One  of  the  loveliest  legacies  of  the 

leaves.  Book  is  the  gift  of  song.     Music  there 

is  in  every  land,  but  the  soul  of  music  has  never 
found  itself  except  under  the  culture  of  Christianity. 
The  music  of  Greece,  of  India,  of  China  remained 
primitive,  plaintive,  undeveloped.  No  religion  ex- 
cept Christianity  has  ever  been  able  so  to  develop 
personality  as  to  bring  out  the  hidden  sublimities 
and  marvelous  possibilities  that  dwell  in  the  soul  of 


2i6  The  Bible  and  Missions 

music.  Wherever  the  Bible  has  gone  the  people 
have  learned  a  new  song. 

The  missionary  The  missionary  has  always  taken  his 
and  his  hymn    book    with    his    Bible.     The 

hymnal.  gospel    has    literally    sung    its    way 

around  the  world.  Simple  hymns  like  Safe  in  the 
Arms  of  Jesus^  Jesus  Loves  me^  this  I  know  are  im- 
perishably  fixed  in  all  earth's  hundreds  of  languages. 
Some  of  our  notable  writers  will  be  forgotten  in  a 
hundred  years,  but  Fanny  Crosby  will  go  singing 
down  the  century.  Hers  was  but  a  slender  gift  of 
song,  but  she  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  Jesus  and  he 
blessed  and  broke  and  gave  it  to  the  nations.  Mis- 
sionary after  missionary  has  translated  and  written 
hymns  by  the  score  to  make  the  first  crude  hymnal  of 
the  new-born  churches  of  the  Orient.  Time  would 
fail  to  speak  of  the  Choice  Arabic  Hymns  first  pub- 
lished by  Rev.  E.  R.  Lewis,  M.D.,  a  professor  in  the 
Syrian  Protestant  College  of  Beirut;  of  the  work  of 
Pilkington  and  Mackay  in  writing  hymns  for  dark 
Uganda,  of  Pastor  Coillard's  hymns  beloved  in  Sesuto, 
of  Mrs.  Marling's  hymns  among  the  savage  Fan 
folk  of  the  West  Coast.  From  the  multitudinous 
islands  of  the  Pacific  we  should  hear  the  songs  which 
are  the  gifts  of  missionaries  long  since  singing  the 
songs  of  the  redeemed  in  Heaven.  In  the  early  days 
on  blood-soaked  Fiji  the  little  children  were  taught 
by  Rev.  John  Watsford  to  sing  the  gospel  stories  of 
the  life  of  Christ  before  they  ever  learned  to  read. 
The  martyr,  James  Chalmers,  insured  the  spread  of 
the  gospel  for  which  he  died,  by  translating  into  the 
language  of  the  savage  men  of  New  Guinea  nearly 
two  hundred  hymns. 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  217 

Sales  of  The  sales  of  hymn  books  have  been 

hymn  books.  only  second   to   those   of  the   Bible. 

The  Union  //jyw;^^/ published  in  Japan  in  1903  con- 
tained hundreds  of  choice  hymns,  both  original  and 
translated,  and  became  at  once  one  of  the  best  selling 
books  in  Japan.  These  Christian  hymns  find  their 
way  into  many  non-Christian  homes.  They  are 
adapted,  words  and  all,  for  use  in  Buddhist  Sunday- 
schools. 

"Buddha  loves  me,  this  I  know. 
For  the  Shastras  tell  me  so." 

Modern  Buddhism  creates  no  hymns;  it  patches  up 
Christian  hymns  to  suit  its  purposes. 
Hymn  writers;       No    sooner    do    Christian    converts 
Indian.  learn  to  sing  the  songs  of  Zion  than 

they  begin  to  express  their  new  found  faith  in  hymns 
of  their  own.  An  increasing  number  of  these  hymns 
is  to  be  found  in  the  hymnals  of  the  rising  churches 
of  the  Orient.  In  India,  for  example,  rhyming 
paraphrases  of  Bible  stories  and  teachings  are  set 
to  Indian  tunes  and  chanted  to  enraptured  audiences. 
An  audience  of  Telugu  farmers  will  listen  half  the 
night  to  the  life  of  Joseph  or  of  Paul  expressed  in 
primitive  verse-form  and  set  to  one  of  the  well- 
known  chants  in  which  they  have  been  wont  to  hear 
the  traditions  of  their  race.  An  increasing  use  is 
being  made  of  this  form  for  securing  the  entrance  and 
lodgment  of  Christian  truth.  Many  Indian  pastors 
and  evangelists  are  proving  to  have  a  great  gift  in 
thus  singing  the  gospel  into  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
Several  hymns  written  by  Indian  Christians  have 
found  their  way  into  our  American  hymnal.  Nota- 
ble among  these  is  In  the  Secret  of  His  Presence  by 


2i8  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Ellen  Lakshmi  Goveh,  a  high-caste  Hindu  girl,  and 

0  Thou  my  Soul^  Forget  no  More  by  Krishna  Pal, 
the  first  Indian  convert  baptized  by  William  Carey. 

A  notable  There  died  recently  Mr.  N.  V.  Tilak 

hymn  writer  and  of  Ahmednagar,  India,  a  notable 
evangelist.  Christian,  a  man  of  rare  poetic  gifts 

whose  hymns  have  entered  into  the  imperishable 
treasury  of  the  Marathi  tongue.  In  his  last  will  and 
testiment  he  made  confession  of  his  Christian  faith, 
''None  knows  when  he  will  have  the  call  of  God,'* 
he  writes,  "and  none  ought  to  be  thinking  of  it  un- 
necessarily. That  experience  I  am  never  willing  to 
call  Death.  It  is  the  call  of  God.  It  is  awakening 
into  a  new  life.  The  thought  of  it  never  disheartened 
me.  No  trouble  while  dying,  no  trouble  while  living, 
is  the  privilege  of  a  Christian,  and  through  Christ 

1  enjoy  it." 

Quality  of  his  Mr.  Tilak's  hymns  are  full  of  the  noble 
hymns.  rhythm  and  sonorous  cadences  of  the 

Marathi  language.  They  are  mystical,  full  of 
poetry,  and  breathe  a  passionate  devotion  to  Jesus. 
Through  his  hymns  Mr.  Tilak  has  become  a  beloved 
leader  among  Marathi  Christians  everywhere. 

Much  remaining  While  it  is  encouraging  to  study  what 
to  be  done.  j^^g  \yQ^^  ^.j^g  effect  of  the  introduction 

of  the  Bible  in  stimulating  other  forms  of  Christian 
literature  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  only  a  tiny 
beginning  has  been  made.  The  call  for  the  supply 
and  the  distribution  of  Christian  literature  is  just 
beginning  to  be  heard  as  one  of  the  outstanding  needs 
of  the  lands  now  awaking  to  new  life  under  the  im- 
pact of  the  gospel.    Neither  in  quantity,  in  quality, 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  219 

nor  in  subject  matter  is  the  literature  now  available 
satisfactory  or  sufficient. 

Literature  Take  for  example  the  needs  of  the 

for  the  home.  home.  The  two-thirds  of  the  women 
of  the  world  long  denied  education  or  books  are 
beginning  to  go  to  school.  Thousands  of  them  are 
becoming  literate  each  year.  In  most  mission  fields 
there  is  little  except  the  Bible  for  them  to  read.  In 
all  but  two  or  three  fields  there  is  a  dearth  of  books 
regarding  the  care  of  children,  the  work  of  home 
building,  Christian  biography,  fiction,  books  of  de- 
votion. The  eloquent  fact  that  in  all  China  there  is 
but  one  picture  book  for  children  makes  a  louder 
appeal  for  wholesome,  homely,  helpful  books  for  the 
mother  and  the  children  than  would  pages  of  argu- 
ment. 

AChiid's  The  strength  of  the  appeal  was  shown 

^''^®  recently  when  Mrs.  MacGillivray  of 

of  Jesus.  Shanghai    was    speaking    about    the 

need  of  children's  books  to  an  audience  in  Boston. 
She  had  described  her  visit  to  a  book  store  in  Toron- 
to during  holiday  season  with  its  bewildering  array  of 
children's  books,  stories,  nature  books,  fairy  tales, 
poems,  travel,  Bible  stories,  books  about  science, 
books  showing  how  to  weave  baskets,  do  carpentry, 
raise  bees,  make  gardens,  take  care  of  pets,  make 
candy  and  all  sorts  of  delightful  things.  Then  she 
thought  how  a  Chinese  mother  would  have  no  trou- 
ble at  all  in  deciding  which  picture  book  to  take, 
because  there  would  be  only  one.  When  she  had 
finished  speaking  she  was  asked  what  book  she  would 
choose  above  all  others  to  make  for  Chinese  children. 
Without  hesitation  she  said  a  Child's  Life  of  Jesus ^ 


220  The  Bible  and  Missions 

illustrated.  As  soon  as  the  meeting  was  over  a  lady 
hastened  forward  with  her  check  book  in  hand, 
"It  isn't  necessary  to  pay  for  it  now,"  said  Mrs. 
MacGillivray,  *'it  will  take  several  months  to  secure 
the  Chinese  writer  and  an  artist  who  will  draw  the 
pictures."  **I  might  die  on  the  way  home,"  insisted 
the  lady,  **and  I  want  the  privilege  of  publishing 
that  Life  of  Jesus  for  little  children."  The  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  which  she  paid  compen- 
sated writer  and  artist  and  paid  for  a  first  edition  of 
one  thousand  copies.  The  sale  of  the  first  edition 
will  provide  funds  to  issue  the  second  edition. 
Jubilee  books.  This  idea  of  providing  books  for 
children  has  been  taken  up  by  the  Woman's  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  as  part  of  its 
Jubilee  Celebration.  A  fund  has  been  set  aside  with 
which  to  publish  one  book  or  more  in  each  of  its  ten 
fields.  Wherever  there  is  no  Child's  Life  of  Jesus 
the  question  of  providing  one  will  be  taken  up. 
Popularity  Encouragement  is  to  be  found  in  the 

o^  Happy  response  already  made  to  this  attempt 

1  a  ooa.  ^Q  create  a  reading  public  among  the 

young  people.  Mrs.  MacGillivray  reports  that  the 
little  magazine  Happy  Childhood  is  eagerly  looked 
for  in  every  part  of  the  world  where  there  are  Chinese 
people.  The  magazine  was  taken,  for  example,  in 
a  girl's  school  in  Shansi.  One  number  contained  an 
account  of  a  school  for  the  deaf  in  Chefoo.  This  so 
interested  the  girls  that  they  gave  $3.00  (no  small 
sum  from  their  meagre  funds)  and  sent  it  to  the  school 
for  the  deaf.  In  far  away  Vancouver  a  little  Chinese 
girl  read  the  story  that  Happy  Childhood  brought  her 
of  the  Door  of  Hope  in  Shanghai.     She  promptly 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree       221 

began  to  tell  other  children  about  the  Door  of  Hope 
and  to  interest  them.  They  organized  a  little  sew- 
ing society  and  made  several  warm  quilts  which  they 
sent  at  Christmas  to  the  Door  of  Hope  and  to  a 
Chinese  hospital. 

Happy  Mrs.      MacGillivray     told     another 

Childhood  in        charming  story  about  the  little  maga- 

the  palace.  -  t^  ^l    x.  •     •  i_ 

^  zme.     It  seems  that  a  missionary  who 

was  teaching  the  children  of  Yuan  Shi  Kai,  the  Presi- 
dent of  China,  took  a  copy  of  Happy  Childhood  with 
her  one  day  on  her  visit  to  the  palace.  Several  times 
it  happened  that  she  left  a  copy.  One  day  one  of 
the  secondary  wives  in  the  palace  called  her  aside 
and  said,  **Tell  me  about  this  Jesus  of  whom  this 
paper  speaks  so  often."  As  she  told  her  of  Jesus, 
the  old  scene  was  repeated  when  "they  of  Caesar's 
household"  listened  to  the  apostle  who  brought  them 
the  Good  News. 

Importance  of  Considerations  like  the  above  reveal 
periodicals.  the  necessity  of  fostering  periodical 

literature,  not  too  bookish  and  intellectual,  for 
women  and  children.  The  Women's  Boards  have 
made  a  tiny  beginning  to  supply  this  need  through 
the  publication  of  several  women's  magazines.  Few, 
if  any,  of  them  have  made  library  grants  to  assure 
that  the  magazines  for  women  and  children  shall  be 
taken  in  the  schools  and  provided  freely  in  reading 
rooms.  No  better  reward  of  diligence  could  be  given 
than  to  make  a  pupil  a  subscriber  for  a  good  Chris- 
tian magazine. 

Need  of  co-  The  business  of  publishing  a  maga- 

operation.  zine  is  expensive.     A  poor,  shabby, 

dull  paper  defeats  its  ends.     A  wide-awake,  spiritu- 


222  The  Bible  and  Missions 

ally  stimulating  child's  paper  has  almost  super- 
human powers  for  good.  The  beginning  of  co-opera- 
tion in  which  several  Boards  unite  in  the  support 
of  one  magazine  has  already  been  seen  in  China  in 
the  publication  of  Happy  Childhood. 
Call  for  The   dearth   of  reading   matter,    the 

adequate  program,  eager  response  with  which  our  first 
limited  attempts  to  supply  the  need  are  met,  the 
absolute  necessity  of  cultivating  the  reading  habit 
if  a  vigorous,  broad-minded  Christian  community 
is  to  be  developed,  all  point  to  the  need  of  an  ade- 
quate program  of  advance.  All  the  great  missionary 
societies  are  planning  for  advance.  Old  programs 
and  standards  are  being  discarded  as  outgrown  and 
insufficient.  It  is  necessary  that  the  lack  of  books  be 
taken  into  account.  There  are  few  signs  that  this 
problem  is  being  faced  in  any  but  the  most  desultory 
way.  Here  and  there  a  Board  makes  a  grant.  Now 
and  then  a  missionary  is  set  aside  for  literary  work; 
but  up  to  the  present  day  no  well-considered  plan 
has  been  formulated  and  adopted  for  the  whole  field. 
The  program  Such  a  program  means  a  large,  a  very 

expensive.  large  investment  of  money.     If  the 

people  are  too  poor  to  buy  books  we  must  supply 
them;  if  they  are  too  ignorant  to  desire  books  we  must 
create  the  appetite.  No  self-supporting,  self-propa- 
gating Protestant  church  can  be  created  and  main- 
tained without  books.  The  strong  Protestant  na- 
tions are  all  reading  nations.  The  strong  Prot- 
estant denominations  are  all  reading  denominations. 
We  are  people  of  the  Book,  of  many  books.  Having 
begun  our  missionary  campaign,  we  must  carry  it 
through.     More    books,    and    better,    are    a   prime 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  223 

necessity.  Until  the  awakening  peoples  can  create 
a  sufficient  literature  for  themselves  they  must  re- 
ceive translations  and  adaptations  of  the  most  valiant 
and  beautiful  books  that  men  have  made.  The 
torch  which  Greece  and  Rome  and  Israel  passed 
on  to  Europe,  and  Europe  in  turn  to  America,  must 
be  passed  to  the  Orient. 

Outstanding  In  formulating  the  enlarged  program 

opportunities.  for  the  new  day  there  are  to  be  con- 
1.  Publicity.  sidered  at  least  two  tremendous  op- 

portunities. The  one  has  already  been  briefly  al- 
luded to — the  opportunity  to  make  non-Christian 
people  acquainted  with  the  main  facts  of  the  gospel 
through  publicity  in  the  daily  press.  The  circula- 
tion of  daily  newspapers  in  the  Orient  is  itself  of  com- 
paratively recent  development.  To  take  advantage 
of  it  for  promoting  the  Kingdom  on  the  lines  so  prac- 
tically demonstrated  by  Mr.  Pieters  in  Oita  prefec- 
ture requires  a  very  large  outlay  of  money.  A  com- 
mittee, after  an  exhaustive  survey,  estimated  that 
adequate  plans  for  newspaper  publicity  throughout 
the  Japanese  empire  would  necessitate  an  outlay  of 
^500,000  annually  for  five  years.  If  only  Tokyo 
were  taken  as  the  organizing  center  a  worthy,  though 
incomplete,  campaign  could  be  undertaken  for 
$100,000  annually.  The  report  of  this  committee 
is  fascinating  reading.  It  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Interchurch  World  Movement  under  the  title 
Seven  Years  of  Newspaper  Evangelism  in  Japan, 
Value  of  Such  an  undertaking,  co-operatively 

Christian  financed    by    the    great    Protestant 

publicity.  Boards  of  Foreign  Missions,  not  only 

in  Japan,  but  in  China,  India,  and  the  Near  East, 


224  The  Bible  and  Missions 

would  have  enormous  capacity  for  good.  It  is  not 
fanciful  to  dream  such  dreams  in  these  days  of  wide 
open  opportunity. 

2.  Use  of  The   second   line   of  advance   provi- 

phonetic  Chinese  dentially  opened  is  through  the  use 
script.  Qf    ^\yQ    recently    invented    phonetic 

characters  for  the  printing  of  Chinese.  Through 
this  invention  China  advances  by  one  leap  from 
the  position  of  the  nation  having  a  most  archaic, 
cumbersome,  and  difficult  system  of  writing  thespoken 
word  to  that  of  the  nation  having  a  most  advanced 
and  scientific  syllabary.  Instead  of  a  separate 
character  to  be  memorized  for  each  word  in  the 
language  we  have  thirty-nine  phonetic  symbols 
based  on  the  old  character.  By  means  of  certain 
diacritical  marks  placed  above  or  beneath  the  char- 
acters it  is  possible  to  indicate  the  different  tones. 
Such  are  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  the  system  that 
an  illiterate  adult  can  learn  to  read  in  a  month  or 
six  weeks. 

Advantage  of  It  IS  difficult  to  overstate  the  impor- 
phonetic  tance  of  the  new  system  of  writing  to 

system.  ^}^g   future   progress   of  the   Chinese 

people.  The  old  character  system  of  recording  the 
language  was  acquired  with  difficulty  by  the  common 
people  and  was  but  sketchily  retained  by  many  of 
them.  The  difficulty  of  reading  books  containing 
unfamiliar  terms  was  enormous  even  to  the  educated. 
The  problems  of  setting  type  or  adapting  the  type- 
writer and  other  modern  tools  of  business  to  Chinese 
were  all  but  insuperable. 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree 


225 


Overcoming  The  conservatism  of  the  Chinese  and 

Chinese  their  deep  pride  in  the  literary  beau- 

conservatism.  ^jgg  q^"  their  language  have  made  all 
previous  attempts  to  romanize  or  to  reform  their  an- 
cient system  of  character  writing  abortive.  The 
new  system,  because  of  its  simplicity,  its  conformity 
to  the  traditional  Chinese  form,  and  the  ease  with 
which  it  is  mastered,  is  rapidly  growing  in  popu- 
larity. In  Shansi,  Governor  Yen  is  enthusiastically 
pushing  the  new  system  in  the  hope  of  having  the 
first  literate  province  in  China.  Schools  and  colleges 
are  falling  in  line,  making  the  study  of  the  new 
script  a  required  topic.  Students  have  been  using 
their  vacations  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  illiterates. 
Printing  of  One  of  the  first  necessities  in  getting 

text -books.  the  new  script  studied  is  the  prepara- 

tion of  text-books.  Fortunately  the  right  person 
was  already  fitted  for  the  task.  Miss  S.  J. 
Garland  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  had  for 
years  been  engaged  in  working  out  an  improved 
system  of  braille  for  the  use  of  the  blind.  Her  sys- 
tem was  generally  recognized  as  the  best,  and  her 
studies  for  the  blind  proved  of  service  in  working 
out  the  phonetic  system  of  writing  for  the  seeing. 
Her  experience  and  reputation  as  a  linguist  led  to  her 
being  asked  to  come  to  Shanghai  and  superintend 
the  preparation  of  the  first  readers  in  the  new  script. 
Her  Board  consented  to  release  her.  The  first  primer 
was  already  prepared  when  along  came  a  truly  stag- 
gering order  from  the  governor  of  Shansi  for  2,500,000 
primers.  The  order  was  divided  among  several 
printing  firms  in  order  to  get  it  out  in  time.  Other 
books  are  in  process  of  preparation. 


226  The  Bible  and  Missions 

The  Bible  The  Gospels  of  Luke  and  Mark  have 

»n  the  already    been    translated    from    the 

new  script.  Mandarin  to  the  new  phonetic  char- 

acters. The  American  Bible  Society  has  made  a 
grant  to  cover  the  cost  of  printing.  The  use  of  the 
phonetic  script  makes  it  possible  to  put  the  Bible  in 
the  hands  of  the  common  people  and  quickly  to 
teach  them  to  read  it  for  themselves.  The  diffusion 
of  Christian  truth  thus  made  practicable  may  quick- 
en the  pace  of  China's  evangelization  by  generations. 
Importance  of  The  importance  of  this  invention  is 
new  script.  yet   but   dimly  realized.     Not   forty 

millions  out  of  China's  four  hundred  millions  can 
read.  The  task  of  teaching  them  to  read  has  been 
reduced  from  a  matter  of  years  to  a  matter  of  weeks. 
Such  an  emancipation  as  occurred  with  the  rise  of 
vernacular  literature  in  Europe  is  booind  to  occur  in 
China.  The  old  classic  writing  and  literature  will 
never  be  displaced  but  will  assume  the  place  in  a 
liberal  education  that  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics 
have  held  in  the  Western  world. 
Opportunity  The   Church   holds    the   key  to   this 

of  the  Church.  most  wonderful  door  of  opportunity. 
The  Protestant  Church  already  has  125,000  literates 
to  i88jOOO  illiterates.  These  reading  Christians  are 
for  the  first  time  able  to  teach  their  fellow  villagers 
to  read  and  to  place  in  their  hands  Christian  teach- 
ings in  this  new  everyday  transcript  of  their  everyday 
speech.  This  little  army  of  literates  is,  for  the  most 
part,  drawn  from  the  common  people,  China's  vast 
iUiterate  population.  They  are  scattered  through 
the  villages.  They  are  anxious  to  communicate  the 
faith.     What  happened  in  Korea  through  the  medi- 


The  Leaves  of  the  Tree  227 

um  of  Korea's  easy  phonetic  script  may  happen  in 
China;  Christians  may  become  people  of  the  Book. 
America's  DuHng  these  days  of  the  corruption 

contribution.  and  Weakness  of  the  Chinese  govern- 

ment Christian  America  may  work  a  mighty  work  for 
China  and  for  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  is  in  the 
power  of  American  Christians  to  see  that  the  first 
school  books  in  the  new  script  are  Christian  in  back- 
ground and  viewpoint.  We  can  rapidly  put  into 
phonetic  characters  the  best  Christian  literature 
already  available  in  Mandarin.  We  can  provide 
and  train  a  small  army  of  teachers  so  that  every 
Christian  church  shall  become  a  recruiting  station 
for  the  new  learning.  All  this  means  money,  but 
could  money  ever  count  for  more?  The  Federation 
of  Women's  Boards  has  already  responded,  through 
its  standing  Committee  on  Christian  Literature  for 
Oriental  Women  and  Children,  by  a  small  grant  of 
$1000.  This  must  be  followed  up  by  grants  from 
individual  Boards,  by  the  setting  apart  of  mission- 
aries for  this  work,  and  by  individual  contributions 
in  large  amounts.  What  $100,000,  wisely  expended, 
could  do  in  assuring  that  the  first  contact  with  books 
should  be  Christian,  it  is  difficult  to  overstate.  The 
expenditure  is  not  recurring.  The  art  once  taught 
will  lift  China  from  illiteracy  to  literacy.  The 
people  once  reading  will  pay  for  their  own  books. 
China's  age-long  veneration  for  the  printed  page 
makes  it  particularly  easy  to  use  books  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  Christian  message,  once  the  common 
people  have  access  to  books.  The  forces  of  evil  will 
not  be  slow  to  seize  such  an  opening.  It  is  safe  to 
predict  that  within  ten  years  the  worst  and  most 


228  The  Bible  and  Missions 

destructive  books  of  America  and  Europe  will  be 
purchasable  in  the  new  script.  It  is  for  Christians 
to  show  equal  enterprise  in  making  available  the  life- 
giving  books  of  our  Christian  civilization. 
In  conclusion.  We  have  traveled  as  in  an  airplane 
over  a  wide  stretching  country.  We  have  beheld 
the  lofty  Himalayas  of  the  Bible  lifting  their  stainless 
summits  across  the  path  of  the  centuries.  From 
their  heights  we  have  seen  what  rivers  of  the  water 
of  life  take  their  rise  to  run  softly  far  below  through 
blossoming  orchards  and  green  meadows!  We  have 
traced  their  course  through  arid  deserts  which  they 
have  made  to  yield  harvests  for  the  hunger  of  the 
world.  Showers  of  blessing  condensed  upon  the 
mountains  have  revived  distant  plains.  We  have 
seen  men  climbing  the  sides  of  the  illimitable  Ranges 
of  Scripture  and  as  they  climbed  their  faces  have 
lightened  and  from  the  summits  they  have  beheld 
the  land  that  is  very  far  off  and  the  glory  of  God. 
From  our  brief  study  we  have  risen  strengthened 
and  calm.  It  is  man's  book,  this  Book  of  God.  In 
its  hand  there  are  treasures  for  all  mankind;  in  its 
heart  a  living  message  from  the  living  God.  To 
follow  its  teachings,  to  extend  its  influence,  to  preach 
its  gospel,  to  make  known  its  Saviour,  crucified  and 
risen  again,  is  the  deepest  joy  and  the  supremest 
privilege  of  the  Christian.  In  the  humble  hope  that 
this  study,  simple  and  inadequate  as  it  is,  may 
strengthen  and  deepen  the  faith  of  those  who 
follow  it,  this  little  book  is  written.  If  it  shall 
lead  one  person  to  devote  himself  whole-heartedly 
to  make  the  Bible  known  to  those  who  know  it  not, 
the  writer  will  be  glad  and  grateful. 


A  BRIEF  READING  LIST 

CR^PTER  I. 

Missions  in  the  Plan  of  the  Ages,  Carver  (Re veil). 

A  Tour  of  the  Missions,  Strong  (Griffith  &  Rowland  Press). 
Chapters  XV,  XVI,  XVII. 

'The  Hebrew  Bible  and  the  Israelitish  Nation.  (Centennial 
Pamphlet,  see  book  list,  Chapter  IV.) 

Winning  the  World  for  Christ,  Lambuth  (Revell,  191 5).  Lec- 
tures I  and  II. 

Christian  Epoch  Makers,  Vedder  (Griffith  &  Rowland  Press, 
Philadelphia).    Chapter  I,  The  Philosophy  of  Christian  Missions. 

The  Bible  a  Missionary  Book,  Horton  (1908)  (The  Pilgrim 
Press).     Chapters  IlI-VI. 

CHAPTER  11. 

How  Europe  Was  Won  for  Christianity,  Stubbs  (Revell). 
Chapters  I,  II. 

Bible  Reading  in  the  Early  Church,  Harnack    (Putnam,   191 2). 

Outlines  of  Missionary  History,  Mason  (Doran,  191 2).  Chap- 
ter II. 

Two  Thousand  Years  of  Missions  before  Carey,  Barnes  (Chris- 
tian Culture  Press,  Chicago,  i960).     Chapters  I-III. 

New  Testament  Studies  in  Missions,  Beach  (Student  Volunteer 
Movement,  1900). 

Winning  the  World  for  Christ,  Lambuth  (Revell).     Lecture  VI. 

Christian  Epoch  Makers,  Vedder  (Griffith  &  Rowland  Press). 
Chapter  II. 

The  Bible  a  Missionary  Book,  Horton  (Pilgrim  Press).  Chap- 
ters I,  II. 

Christianity  and  Civilization,  Church  (Macmillan,  1914). 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Bible  in  Many  Lands,  Harris  (Carey  Press,  London). 

The  Book  and  Its  Travels,  Harris  (Carey  Press,  London),  for 
boys  and  girls. 

The  Conversion  of  India,  Smith  (Revell). 

Missionary  Programs  and  Incidents,  Trull  (Second  Series); 
pp.  117,  118,  124,  125,  130.     Missionary  Education  Movement. 

Romance  of  Missionary  Heroism,  Lambert  (London,  1909). 
Chapter  XIV. 


230  The  Bible  and  Missions 

The  Soul  of  India,  Ho  wells  (London,  19 13).     Pp.  562-567. 

How  Europe  Was  Won  for  Christianity ,  Stubbs  (Revell). 

Islam, A  Challenge  to  Faith,ZyjQmQV\  pp.  164,210,215  (Student 
Volunteer  Movement). 

The  Steep  Ascent,  Entwistle  (Revell).     Chapter  VIII. 

The  Influence  of  the  Bible  on  Civilization,  von  Dobschiitz 
(Scribner,  1914).  Chapters  III,  VI,  and  illustrations  of  early 
translations  of  the  Bible. 

The  Story  of  the  L.  M.  S.,  Home  (London;  Simpkin,  Marshall, 
&  Co.,  1904).     Chapters  V,  VII. 

Two  Thousand  Years  of  Missions  before  Carey,  Barnes.  Illus- 
trations of  Nestorian  Tablet,  p.  108. 

Christian  Epoch  Makers,  Vedder. 

China  Mission  Year  Book  (1913)  (Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment, New  York). 

Bible  in  the  British  Museum,  article  in  London  Quarterly  Review^ 
1894,  vol.  178,  pp.  157-184. 

Latin  Translation  of  the  Bible,  article  in  The  Churchman,  1891, 
vol.  16,  pp.  90-98. 

Theology  of  Civilization,  Dale  (Crowell,  1899). 

Scotland's  Influence  on  Civilization,  L.  J.  Halsey  (Pres.  Bd.  of 
Pub.). 

History  of  European  Morals,  Lecky  (London). 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Christian  Crusade  for  World  Democracy,  Taylor  and  Luc- 
cock  (Methodist  Book  Concern). 

The  Story  of  the  Bible  Society,  Canton  (London,  1904). 

All  about  Japan,  Belle  Brain,  pp.  1 59-1 81.     (Revell.) 

Bible  Society  Centenary  Pamphlets.  Ten  pamphlets  issued  by 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  1904,  146  Queen  Victoria 
St.,  London,  E.C. 

These  pamphlets  are  valuable  in  Chapters  III-V. 

A  Children's  History  of  the  Bible  Society,  Canton  (Murray, 
London). 

Centennial  Pamphlets  (American  Bible  Society,  1916). 

Single  pamphlets,  postpaid,  5  cents;  in  quantities  of  ten  or 
more,  3  cents  each.  Order,  American  Bible  Society,  Astor 
Place,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


A  Brief  Reading  List  231 

In  the  Vulgar  'Tongue^  Bible  House,  Queen  Victoria  St.  (Lon- 
don, 1914). 

'The  Modern  Call  of  Missions^  Dennis  (Revell,  1913).  Chap- 
ters I-IV. 

The  Cross  in  Japan,  Hagin  (Revell,  1914).     Pp.  163-173. 

Missionary  Review  of  the  World ,  August,  191 9.  The  Bible 
and  the  World's  Future,  Ritson. 

The  World  Outlook,  March,  191 8,  The  World's  Best  Seller. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  New  Horoscope  of  Missions,  Dennis  (Revell).  Lectures 
II,  III. 

Ministers  of  Mercy,  Franklin  (Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment). 

Epoch  Makers  of  Modern  Missions,  McLean  (Revell). 

Missionary  Programs  and  Incidents  (Second  Series),  Trull 
(Missionary  Education  Movement). 

African  Missionary  Heroes  and  Heroines,  Kimm  (Macmillan, 
1917).     Fine  Maps. 

The  Story  of  the  American  Board,  Strong  (The  Pilgrim  Press). 
Pp.  272,  381. 

/Cor^fl/orC^m/,  Davis  (London,22  Paternoster  Row,E.C.).P.39. 

Daybreak  in  the  Dark  Continent,  Naylor  (Missionary  Education 
Movement).     Pp.  223-233. 

Human  Progress  through  Missions,  Barton  (Revell,  191 2). 

Centennial  Pamphlets,  see  book  list.  Chapter  IV. 
Evolution  of  the  Use  of  the  Bible  in  Europe,  Kuyper. 
The  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mankind,  Warfield. 

Lincoln's  Use  of  the  Bible,  Jackson  (Abingdon  Press). 

The  Bible  and  Civilization,  von  Dobschiitz  (Scribner).  Chap- 
ters IV,  V. 

World  Facts  and  America's  Responsibility,  Patton  (Association 
Press,  1919).     Chapters  I-III. 

Gesta  Christi,  Brace  (Armstrong,  1903). 

The  Christian  Movement  in  Japan  (18 14),  pp.  164-171.  (Mis- 
sionary Education  Movement,  New  York.) 

India's  Silent  Revolution,  Fisher  (Macmillan,  191 9).  Chap- 
ters IV,  VI. 

The  Greatest  English  Classic,  McAfee  (Harper,  1912).  Chap- 
ters V,  VI. 


232  The  Bible  and  Missions 

Is  the  World  Growing  Better?  Snowdon  (Macmillan,  191 9). 
Chapter  IX,  The  Bible  and  Progress. 

Civilization  of  Christendom^  Bosanquet  (Macmillan). 

Influence  of  Christianity  upon  Social  and  Political  Ideas  (Mil- 
waukee, Young  Churchman^  1912). 

Christianity  and  Civilization^  Church  (Macmillan,  1914). 

Christ  or  Chaos ^  Watson  (Pilgrim  Press). 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Korea  Jor  Christy  Davis  (London,  22  Paternoster  Row,  E.C.). 
See  Chapter  IX,  Whang,  the  Blind  Sorcerer. 

The  Bible  and  Civilization y  von  Dobschiitz  (Scribners).  Chap- 
ter VII. 

Christian  Movement  in  "Japan  (Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment, New  York). 

See  Volumes  from  1914-1919  for  Annual  Review  of  Christian 

Literature. 
See  1917,  part  IX,  for  Women's  Movement,  Industrial  Con- 
ditions, Social  Evil,  Labor  Movement. 
See  1913,  Chapter  XXX  on  Newspaper  Evangelism. 

The  Modern  Call  of  Missions ^  Dennis  (Revell,  1913).  Chap- 
ter X,  The  Hymnody  of  Modern  Missions. 

Contrasts  in  Social  Progress^  Tenney  (Rumford  Press,  Concord, 
N.  H.,  1914). 

China  Mission  Year  Book  {igij)  (Missionary  PMucation  Move- 
ment, New  York).     Pp.  308-313,  352-361. 

The  Literary  Primacy  of  the  Bible^  Eckman  (Methodist  Book 
Concern,  191 5).     Chapters  I  and  IV. 

The  Greatest  English  Classic ^  McAfee  (Harper,  191 2).  Chap- 
ter IV. 

Christian  Literature  in  the  Mission  Fields  Ritson  (Edinborough, 
I  Charlotte  Square,  1910). 

Worldwide  Sunday-school  Work.  Report  of  Zurich  Conven- 
tion, 1 91 3  (Pub.  World  Sunday-school  Association,  Metropolitan 
Tower,  New  York). 

Seven  Years  of  Newspaper  Evangelism  in  Japan^  by  Albertus 
Pieters,  Oita,  Japan. 


INDEX 


Abyssinian  version,  99 

Acts,  76,  83,  84,  88-9 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  quoted,  173 

Advertising  Christianity,  213-5 

Africa,  Bible  in,  131-2 

African  opinion  of  Bible,  180-1 

Alphabet,  121-2,   134-5,  224-6 

America,  opportunity  of,  227-8 

American  Bible  Society,  organiza- 
tion,   1 49- 1 50;  160, 193-4 

Amos,  the  gospel  in,  ^2 

Aneityum  converted,  125 

Angel  of  the  presence,  24 

Anglo-Saxons,  Christianity  not 
property  of,  65 

Aniwa,  126-7 

Apocalypse,  missionary  message, 
89-93;  social  implications,  91-3 

Arabic,  sacred  language,   136 

Armenian  version,  97 

Arts,  the  Bible  and  the,  169-70 

Babylon,  fate  of,  foretold,  168-9 

Base  line  of  gospel,  74-5 

Bible,  missionary's  book,  7;  mis- 
sionary in  essence  and  sub- 
stance, 8-13;  topics,  8;  style, 
8-9;  long  life,  9-10;  cosmogony 
simple,  9-10;  psychology  age- 
less, lo-i;  social  passion,  11-2; 
as  literature,  12;  character  of 
God,  12-3;  Septuagint,  14,  96; 
missionary  in  teachings,  14; 
plan  of  the  ages,  14-6;  God's 
search  for  man,  16-7;  transla- 
tion, 96-138;  earliest  versions, 
96-7;  among  early  Christians, 
97-100;  Vulgate,  101-2;  of  Ul- 
filas,  the  Goth,  101-3;  English, 
103-4;  Burmese  version,  112; 
Chinese  versions,  113-6;  Japa- 
nese versions,  I16-7;  floating  on 
the  water,  118;  in  Korea,  121-4; 
among  islanders,  124-6;  in  Rara- 
tonga,    126;    in    Aniwa,    126-7; 


in  Savage  Island  and  New 
Guinea,  127-8;  in  Madagas- 
car, 128-31;  in  Africa,  131-2; 
Eliot's,  for  the  Indians,  132; 
search  for  by  Nez-Perces  In- 
dians, 132-3;  Dakota,  134;  Na- 
vaho,  134;  Cherokee,  134-5; 
versions  for  Moslems,  136-7; 
the  travels  of  the,  141-165; 
scarce  and  expensive  in  1800, 
I41-2;  democratized  by  educa- 
tion and  invention,  142;  Welsh 
get  their,  146;  in  Great  Britain, 
146-7;  recognized  by  founders 
of  our  Republic,  150-1;  sale  of, 
152-4;  distribution  by  colpor- 
ters,  154-8;  finds  Hindu /akir, 
159-60;  practical  pointers,  164- 
5;  influence  on  civilization,  167- 
195;  has  message  to  nations, 
167-9;  modern  civilization 
founded  on,  169;  and  the  arts, 
169-70;  and  law,  170-2;  ideals 
of,  172;  and  Constitution  of 
U.  S.,  172-3;  testimony  of 
great  men,  173-4;  and  music, 
174;  and  church  ordinances  and 
festivals,  175;  influence  on  non- 
Christian  nations,  176;  and 
India,  176-9;  Uganda's  trans- 
formation, 179-80;  an  African 
opinion,  180-1;  Hottentot  opin- 
ion, 181;  and  the  Maoris,  18 1-2; 
Darwin  on,  in  Tahiti,  182-3; 
in  Pacific  Islands,  183-4;  in 
Korea,  185;  Japan's  debt,  186- 
8;  in  China,  188-95;  going  back 
home,  195;  a  book-making,  198- 
228;  permeates  literature,  200- 
2;  influence  of,  can  not  be  blot- 
ted out,  202-3;  transplanted 
creates  demand  for  books,  203- 
6;  see  New  Testament,  Old 
Testament 
Bible  reading,  97-9,  103,  176-7 


234 


The  Bible  and  Missions 


Bible  schools,  146 
Bible  societies,  rise  of,  141;  and 
Mary  Jones,  142-7;  on  the  con- 
tinent, 1 47;  in  Russia,  147-8; 
in  Scotland,  148;  in  America, 
1 48-51;  characteristics  of,  151- 
2;  value,  in  missionary  enter- 
prise, 152;  ministry  to  the  sol- 
diers, 160-4;  contributions  to 
fund,  1 61-2;  approval  of  mili- 
tary leaders,  162-3;  financial 
support,  165 
Bible  translation,  96;  best  adapted 
to,  104;  in  the  last  century,  105; 
compared  with  other  books,  105; 
essential  to  missionary  progress, 
105-6;  difficulties  of,  106-8;  en- 
larging a  people's  soul,  108; 
difficulties  in  the  translator's 
heart,  108;  benefits  of,  108-10; 
searching  for  a  name  for  God, 
127-8;  a  superb  achievement, 
137-8;  strategy  of,  138;  aided 
by  Bible  societies,  152 
Blessing,  19,  20 
Book,  the  travels  of  the,  14I-165; 

Bible  a  book-making,  198-228 
Books,  198-9,  203-6,  220,  222-3 
Briggs,  Governor,  quoted,  172 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 

142-7,  148-9,  152,  160 
Brotherhood  of  Man,  57-58 
Buddhist  approaches,  212-3 
Burma,  Judson's  sufferings,  11 1-2 
Burmese  version,  112 

Carey,  William,    109,  iio-ii 
Carlyle  quoted,  104 
Carver  quoted,  20-1 
Caste,  loosening  of,  177-8 
Chalmers,  James,  quoted,  183-4 
Charter,  missionary's  great,  80 
Children,  98-9,  210 
Chinese  alphabet,  224-6,  226 
Chinese  Christian  newspaper,  210 
Chinese  conservatism,  225 
Chinese   government   asks    Chris- 
tians to  pray,  194-5 
Chinese  magazine  for  children,  210 


Chinese  philanthropist,  158-9,191 
Chinese  text-books,  printing,  225 
Chinese  versions,  113-116 
China,  Japanese  Bible  made  in, 
116-7;  Bible  influence  in  open- 
ing, 188-9;  services  of  American 
missionaries,  189;  Christian  di- 
plomacy  in,    189-90;    Bible   in 
imperial  palace,  190-1;  reforms 
in,   190-1;   Christian  education 
in,    191-3;    officials    cable   Am. 
Bible    Soc,    193-4;    Christians 
asked  to  pray  for,  194-5;  Chris- 
tian Literature  Society  of,  207- 
10;    opportunity    of    Christian 
America  in,  227-8 
Choate,  Hon.  Joseph  H.,  quoted, 

141,172 
Christ  a  failure,  if  missions  fail, 
37-8;  message  of  the  Father, 
56-9;  new  way  to  Father,  59-60; 
absoluteness  of  claims,  59-60; 
riches  of  God  in,  60;  message  of 
Kingdom,  61;  message  of,  to 
John,  6G\  longing  for  triumph 
of,  70;  triumphant  kingdom,  91; 
in  a  Korean  prison,  158 
Christendom,    output    of    books, 

198-9 
Christian  diplomacy,  189-90 
Christian  education  in  China,  191-3 
Christian  literature,  topics  of,  209; 
outside      the     church,      21 1-2; 
Buddhist     approaches,     212-3; 
more    needed,    218-9;    for    the 
home,  219;  Child's  life  of  Jesus ^ 
219-20;  jubilee  books,  220;  pro- 
gram for  publication  of,  needed, 
222-3;  see  Literature,  Publicity 
Christian    Literature    Society    of 

China,  207-10 
Christian      periodical      literature, 

210;  see  Publicity 
Christian  publicity,  213-5;  ^^3-4; 

see  Publicity 

Christian  sonship,  privileges  of,  60 

Christians,    early,    use    of    Bible, 

97-100;    gifts    from    Japanese, 

157-8;  duty  of,  towards  Bible, 


Index 


235 


165;  opportunity  of  American, 
in  China,  227-8 

Christianity  not  property  of  Anglo- 
Saxons,  65;  whole  population  of 
an  island  converted,  125;  in 
Madagascar,  128-31;  expan- 
sion of,  depends  upon  Bible 
translation,  137-8;  and  prison 
reform  in  Japan,  187;  and  reform 
in  China,  190-1;  develops  a 
book-reading  public,  199-200; 
English  literature  interprets,  to 
Japan,  202;  Buddhist  approach- 
es to,  212-3;  advertising,  in 
newspapers,  213-5;  expansion 
of,  through  music,  215-8 

Civilization,  91-2,  167-195,  169 

Church,  will  the,  fail?  22-3;  may 
fail,  23;  replaces  Kingdom,  61; 
preaching,  teaching,  80;  com- 
promising, and  smooth  sailing, 
84-5;  Christian  literature  out- 
side of  the,  21 1-2;  opportunity 
of,  226-8 

Church  Fathers  on  Bible  reading, 

97-9 
Colporters,  1 54,  154-6,  156,156-8 
Commission,  great,  78,  81-2;  first 

worldwide,  80 
Conservatism  and  Bible  societies, 

144;  overcoming  Chinese,  225 
Constitution    of   U.    S.    and    the 

Bible,  172-3 
Continent,     Bible     societies     on, 
^  ^47-8 

Coptic  version,  97,  99 
Cosmogonies,  impossible,  9-10 
Covenant,    messages    of,    43-44; 

new,  rooted  in  the  old,  54-5 

Daniel,  46,  46-7,  47-8 

Darwin,  Charles,  quoted,  182-3 

Day  of  God,  hastening,  70 

Dictionaries  compiled  by  mission- 
aries, 109-10,  I 12-3,  119-20, 
125,131 

Early  Church,  lay  ministry,  85-6; 
women   workers,    86;    spirit   of. 


86-7;  missionary  power,  88-9 
Earth,  new,  men  co-operating  for, 

92-3. 
Education  and  the  Bible,  142 
Edward    the    Conqueror    quoted, 

171-2 
English  law,  Bible  in,  171 
Ethiopic  version,  97,  99 
Ethnic  religions,  9-13 
Evangelization  of  world,  71 
Exploration:  Oregon  trail,  133-4 
Ezekiel,  gospel  of,  for  individual, 

39-40;  hireling  shepherd,  40-1; 

healing  waters,  41 

"Faith  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  77 
Father,  Christ's  message  of,  56-9; 

new  way  to,  59-60 
Fatherhood  of  God,  57-9 
Festivals,  church,  and  Bible,  175 
Fields  white  for  harvest,  72-3 
Finance,  missionary,  85 
Foch,  General,  quoted,  162 
Force  can  not  usher  in  Kingdom, 63 
Foreigner  in  Solomon's  prayer,  25 
Forgiveness     proclaimed     to     all 

nations,  81 
Fraternal  spirit  of  Early  Church, 

86-7;  today,  87-8 
Free,  Bible  sets  men,  130-1 
Froude  quoted,  173-4 
Furnivall,  Dr.,  quoted,  201 

Gaelic  version,  146 

Galilee,  Jesus  appears  in,  77-8 

Garibaldi  quoted,  174 

Geddie,  John,  125 

Germany  and  Kingdom,  64 

Gibbon  quoted,  102 

Gilbert  Islands,  Bible  in,  124-5 

Gladstone  quoted,  174 

God,  character  of,  revealed  in 
Bible,  12-3;  In  ethnic  religions, 
13;  the_  great  Person,  18;  re- 
vealed in  Psalms,  29;  Isaiah 
claims  world  for,  36;  name 
revered  among  nations,  44-6; 
Jonah  runs  away  from,  49;  pur- 
pose   of,    in    Nineveh,    49-50; 


236 


The  Bible  and  Missions 


irony  of,  50;  over  all  and  in  all, 
57;  Fatherhood  for  all  mankind, 
57-9;   riches  of,   in   Christ,  60; 
hastening  Day  of,  70;  men  co- 
operating with,  92-3;  searching 
for  a  name  for,  127-8;  has  a  will 
for  the  nations,  169 
Goethe  quoted,  7,  198 
Good,  life  chief,  69 
Gospel  will  not  fail,  23;  in  Amos, 
22;  Hosea's,  of  the  love  of  God, 
33-4;  glorious  promise  of,  40-1; 
in    the    arms   of  the   Law,    55; 
base   line   for,   74-5;    universal, 
85;  giving  money  part  of  preach- 
ing, 85;  in  daily  press,  213;  ad- 
vertising, 213-5 
Gospels,  missionary  message,  82 
Gothic  version,  102-3 
Grant,  President  U.  S.,  quoted,  167 
Greek  Church,  translations,  99 
Greeley,  Horace,  quoted,  173 
Great      Britain,      Bible  in   146-7 
Great  commission,  78,  81-2 
Giitzlaff,  Dr.  K.  F.  A.,  115,  116-7 

Habakkuk,  message  of,  42-3 

Haggai,  message  of,  41 

Haig,  Field  Marshal,  quoted,  162 

Hall,  Dr.  G.  Stanley,  quoted,  174 

Hamlin,  Cyrus,  168-9 

Happy  Childhoody  210;  popularity, 

220;  in  a  palace,  221;  222 
Harnack  on  use  of  Bible,  97-9 
Harrington,  Dr.  C.  K.,  quoted,  120 
Harvest,  fields  white  for,  72-3 
Healing  waters,  41 
Heathen,  speaking  peace  to,  41 
Hebrew  hopes,  noblest,  62 
Heroism, summons  to  Christian,  84 
Hindu/^^/V,  Bible  finds,  156-60 
Hireling  shepherd,  40-1 
Historical  books,  24-6 
Hogg  quoted,  57 
Home,  literature  for  the,  219 
Horton  quoted,  27,  28,  30 
Hosea,  gospel  of,  33-4 
Hottentot  opinion  of  Bible,  181 
Hsii,  Kuang,  Christian  books  for, 

208-9 


Humanity  pictured  in  Bible,  lo-i 
Hymn  books,  216-7 
Hymn  writers,  216-8 

India,  influence   of  Bible,    176-9; 

see  South  India 
Indian  invents  an  alphabet,  134-5 
Indians,  Eliot's   Bible,   132;   Nez- 

Perces,  search  for  Bible,  132-3; 

Bibles    for,    134;    twenty-third 

Psalm  for,  135-6 
Individual,    Ezekiel's    gospel    for, 

39-40 

Industries,  new,  and  demand  for 
text-books,  205 

Invention  and  the  Bible,  142 

Isaiah,  circumstances  of  ministry, 
35-6;  convictions  underlying 
gospel,  2^\  claims  world  for  God, 
36-7;  challenge  for  today,  37; 
vision  of  suffering  servant,  38 

Islanders,  Bible  among,  124-6 

Israel,  20-2 

Japan,  first  Protestant  missiona- 
ries in,  1 17-8;  debt  to  Bible, 
186-8;  music  in,  186;  status  of 
woman,  186-7;  prison  reform, 
187;  English  literature  inter- 
prets Christianity  to,  202 
Japanese,  Tolstoi's  works  in,  21 1-2 
Japanese     Christians     influential, 

187-8;  literary  output,  210-1 
Japanese  converts,  early,  11 8-9 
Japanese  prisons,  N.  T.  in,  156-8 
Japanese  versions,  116-7,  119-20 
Jaschke,  Rev.  H.  A.,  no 
Jeremiah,  38-9 
Jerusalem,  vision  of  new,  92 
Jesus   nourished  soul   on   Psalms, 
30;  experience  of,  prefigured  in 
Psalms,  31;  universality  of  mis- 
sion,  55-6;    all   nations   cluster 
about,    55-6;    two    centers    of 
thought,  56-9;  proclaims  King- 
dom, Gy^  defines  Kingdom  and 
reveals  how  to  attain  it,  63-5; 
enraged     Jews,     6^\     explains 
parables,  68-9;  a  missionary,  71; 
talk    with    Samaritan    woman. 


Index 


'■31 


72;  chooses  missionaries,  73-4; 
mission  strategy,  75;  missionary 
commands,  75-6;  faith  of,  77; 
command  after  resurrection, 
77-9;  Child's  life  of,  219-20 

Jewish  exiles,  45 

Jews,  orthodox,  26,  65 

Job,  missionary  purpose  in,  27 

Joel,  message  of,  48 

John  sees  plan,  15;  Christ's  mes- 
sage to,  66 

Jonah,  the  missionary,  48-9;  text 
for  prophecy,  49;  runs  away 
from  God,  49;  God's  purpose  in 
Nineveh,  49-50;  irony  of  God, 

50  . 

Jones,  Rev.  lH^id,  128 
Jones,  Mary,  i^^3 
Jubilee  books,  220 
Judson,  Adoniram,  110-2 

Kingdom,  the  prophets  upon, 
1 1-2;  Micah  foretells  coming, 
34-5;  Christ's  message  of,  61; 
replaced  by  church,  61;  not  a 
new  idea,  61-2;  how  under- 
stood, 62-3;  Jesus  proclaims, 
63;  nature  of,  63;  how  attained, 
63-5;  Germany  and  the,  64; 
meekness  and  the,  64;  not  a 
national  religion,  64-5;  need 
not  tarry,  66-7;  triumph  of, 
delayed,  67;  parables  of  the, 
67-70;  Christ's  triumphant,  91; 
new  Jerusalem,  92-3 

Korea,  121,  123-4,  185,  188 

Korean  Bible,  122-3,  i,-4 

Korean  prison,  Christ  in,  158 

Korean  script,  121-2 

Laity,  use  of  Bible,  97 

Language  in  Africa,  131;  see 
Tongue 

Latin  version,  97 

Law,  missionary  message,  17-22; 
in  prophetic  note,  23-4;  God's 
calling  outside,  25-6;  Gospel  in 
the  arms  of,  55;  Bible  and,  170- 
2;  evils  entrenched  in,  172 


'League  of  Pity,'  first,  74 

Leaves  of  the  Tree,  198-228 

Lessing  quoted,  93 

Lexicography,  debt  of,  to  mission- 
aries, 109-10;  see  Dictionaries 

Life,  chief  good  of,  69 

Lights  that  failed,  22 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  quoted,  163 

Literary  output  of  Japanese  Chris- 
tians, 210-1 

Literate  constituency,  Christian- 
ity develops,  199-200;  Bible 
creates,  204 

Literature,  Bible  as,  12;  permeated 
by  Bible,  200-2;  see  Christian 
literature 

Livingstone,  David,  79,  180-1 

Luke,  first  worldwide  commission, 
80-1 

McAfee,  quoted,  175,  198 
MacGillivray,  Mrs.,  219-20 
Mackenzie,  Jean,  quoted,  180 
Madagascar,  Christianity  in,  128- 

3^     .  . 

Magazine,   Chinese,    for   children, 

210;    Happy    Childhood  J    220-1 ; 

see  Publicity 
Malachi,  43-4,  44-6 
Man,    God's    search    for,     16-7; 

Israel  trustee  for,  20-2;  every, 

in     his     own     tongue,    93-138; 

set  free  by  Bible,  130-1 
Mankind  of  one  blood,  19;  Psalms 

hymnal    of,    27-8;    Isaiah    per- 
ceived unity  of,  36 
Maoris  and  the  Bible,  181-2 
Marshall,  Vice-President  Thos.  R., 

quoted,  162 
Materialism,    18 
Materialistic  civilization,  91-2 
Meekness,  might  of,  64 . 
Messianic  kingdom,  vision  of,  in 

Psalms,     29-30;     Daniel     upon 

hope  of,  47-8 
Micah  foretells  coming  kingdom, 

34-5;  true  religion,  2S 
Milton  quoted,  93 
Ministry,  enlarging  circles  of,  74; 

lay,  in  Early  Church,  85 


238 


The  Bible  and  Missions 


Missionaries,  Jesus  chooses,  73-4; 

contributions      to      knowledge, 

108-10;     first     Protestant,     in 

Japan,    117-8;    services    of,    to 

Pacific    Islanders,     183-4;    and 

hymns,  216-8 
Missionary,    Bible,    in    teachings, 

14;  Jesus  a,  71;  great  charter  of, 

80-1 
Missionary    commands    of  Jesus, 

75-6;   in   Acts,   76;   backed   by 

power,  78-9 
Missionary    conceptions    common 

to  the  prophets,  32 
Missionary    enterprise,    value    of 

Bible  in,  152 
Missionary  finance,  emergence  of. 

Missionary  message  of  Old  Testa- 
ment, 5-51;  in  the  Law,  17-22; 
prophetic  note  in,  23-4;  of  his- 
torical books,  24-6;  of  poetical 
books,  26-31;  of  prophets,  31- 
51;  of  the  New  Testament,  52- 
93;  of  Gospels,  82;  of  N.  T.  out- 
side the  Gospels,  83;  of  Apoca- 
lypse, 88-93 
Missionary  program,  79-80 
Missionary  progress,  105-6 
Missionary  spirit  of  Early  Church, 

86-7;  today,  87-8 
Missionary  study   of  Acts,   88-9 
Mission,  first  Protestant  west  of 

Rocky  Mts.,  133-4 
Missions,  text-book  of,  7-13;  fail- 
ure   of   Church,    22-3;    if,    fail, 
Christ    a     failure,    37-8;     four 
zones  of,  77;  Acts:  text  book  of, 
83;  Syrian,   loi;  stormy   times 
no  bar  to,  144 
Mission  presses,  notable,  205-6 
Mission  strategy,  75;  of  Acts,  84 
Mcflfatt  quoted,  1 21-2 
Money,  giving,  85 
Morrison,    Robert,    no,  112-5 
Moslems,  versions  for,  136-7 
Music  and  the  Bible,  174;  in  Ja- 
pan, 186;  an  aid  to  Christianity, 
215-8 


National  sins,  167-9 

Nations,  all,  cluster  about  Jesus, 
55-6;  Bible  has  message  to, 
167-9;  non-Christian,  influence 
of  Bible,  176;  Oriental,  receiving 
the  Bible,  195 

Nestorian  Tablet,  loo-i 

New,  from  old  to,  54 

New  day,  program  for,  224-8 

New  Guinea,  Bible  in,  127-8 

New  Jerusalem,  vision  of,  92 

New  Testament,  missionary  mes- 
sage of,  52-93;  rooted  in  the 
Old,  54-5;  missionary  message 
of,  outside  the  Gospels,  83;  in 
Japanese  prisons,  156-8;  in 
Korean  prison,  158;  given  by 
Chinese  philanthropist,  158-9; 
see  Old  Testament,  Bible 

Newspaper  evangelism,  see  Pub- 
licity 

Newspaper,  first  Chinese  Chris- 
tian, 210;  see  Publicity 

Nineveh,  God's  purpose  in,  49-50; 
we  have  our,  50 

Nott,  Henry,  1 25-6 

Novels,  sale  of,  153 

Obedience  and   Kingdom,  69 
O'Brien,  Fighting  Pat,  quoted,  163 
Okuma,  Count,  quoted,  186 
Old,  from,  to  new,  54 
Old  Testament,   missionary   mes- 
sage of,  5-51;  the  plan  in,   17; 
New  Testament  rooted  in,  54-5; 
see  New  Testament,  Bible 
Opportunities,  outstanding,  224-8 
Ordinances,  church,  and  Bible,  175 
Oregon  trail,  133-4 
Outcastes,  elevation  of,  177-8 

Pacific    Islands,    missionaries    in, 

183-4 
Palace,  imperial,  Bible  in,  190-1; 

Happy  Childhood  in  a,  221 
Parables  of  the  Kingdom,  67-70 
Paton,  John  G.,  126-7 
Paul  sees  plan,  15-6;  uses  Psalms, 

31;  universal  gospel,  85 


Index 


239 


Pentecost,  the  prophet  of,  48 

Periodicals,  importance  of,  221; 
need  of  cooperation  in  publish- 
ing, 221-2;  see  Publicity 

Persecution  in  Madagascar,  129- 
130 

Pershing,  General,  quoted,  162 

Personalism  translated  into  Jap- 
anese, 18-19 

Peshito,  99 

Peter,  use  of  Psalms  by,  31 

Philology,  debt  of,  to  missionaries 
108-9 

Pieters,  Rev.  Albertus,  213,  21 4, 
223 

Pi/grim's  Progress ,  The,  105,  129 

Pilkington,  Geo.  L.,  132 

Plan  of  the  ages,  14-6;  in  the  Law, 
17-22 

Pocket  Testament  League,  163-4 

Poet  the  real  seer,  26-7 

Poetical  books,  missionary  mes- 
sage of,  26-31 

Prayer  of  dedication,Solomon's,  25 

Prayers  of  Christians  asked  for  by 
Chinese,  194-5 

Press,  daily,  210;  gospel  in,  213; 
advertising  in,  213-5;  see  Pub- 
licity 

Printing  and  the  Bible,  142 

Prison  reform  in  Japan,  187 

Privilege,  channel  of  blessing,  not 
pool  of,  20 

Prophets  social  reformers,  11-2; 
missionary  message  of,  31-51; 
four,  of  the  eighth  century,  B.C., 

3^-3 
Psalms  mankind's  hymnal,  27-8; 
messages  of,  28-30;  Jesus  and, 
30-1;  Peter's  and  Paul's  use  of, 

^^ 
Public,    Christianity    develops    a 

book-reading,  199-200 

Public  libraries  and  Christianity, 
199-200 

Publicity,  see  Christian  publicity. 
Christian  literature.  Christian 
periodical  literature.  Magazine, 
Newspaper,  Periodicals,  Press 


Quezon  quoted,  174 

Ranavalona  begins  great  persecu- 
tion, 129-130 

Raratonga,    126 

Rauschenbusch,  quoted,  12,  54 

Reaper,  sower  and,  73 

Redemption  of  individual,  40-I 

Reed,  Hon.  \V,  B.,  quoted,  189 

Reform  in  China  and  the  Bible, 
1 90-1 

Reformers,  the  prophets  are,  11-2 

Religion,  Micah's  interpretation  of 
true,  35 

Repentance  proclaimed  to  all  na- 
tions, 81 

Richard,  Dr.  Timothy,  great 
achievement  of,  208 

Roberts,  Field  Marshal  Lord,  162 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  quoted,  162- 

3 

Ruskin,  John,  quoted,  104 
Russian  Bible  Society,  147-8 
Ruth,  missionary  purpose  in,  27 

St.  Jerome,  Vulgate  of,  101-2 

St.  John's  college,  192-3 

Sale  of  Bible,  152-4;  of  Dickens's 

novels,  153;  of  hymn  books,  217 
Samaritan     woman,    Jesus'     talk 

with,  72 
Savage  Island,  Bible  in,  127-8 
Schereschewsky,  Bishop,  11 5-6 
Scotch  Bible  Society,  148;  Bibles 

for  soldiers,  161 
Scotch  highlands,  Bible  schools  in, 

146 
Script,  see  Alphabet 
Sectarianism   and   Bible   societies, 

145 

Seer,  poet  the  real,  26-7 

Septuagint,  14,  96 

Sins,  see  National  sins 

Slavic  version,  109 

Social  implications  of  the  Apoc- 
alypse, 91-3 

Soldiers,  distribution  of  Bible  to, 
160-4;  welcome  Testament,  163 

Sons,  God's  true,  58-9 


240 


The  Bible  and  Missions 


Soothill  quoted,  9 

Soul,  enlarging  a  people's,  108 

South  India,  Syrian  Christians  of, 
99-100 

Sower  and  reaper,  73 

Stone  that  became  a  mountain, 
46-7 

Strategy  of  Bible  translation,  138 

Subordination  of  all  else  to  King- 
dom, 69 

Suffering  servant,  vision  of,  38; 
Jeremiah  type  of,  39 

Syriac  version,  97,  99-100 

Syrian  Christians,  99-100 

Syrian  maid,  captive,  26 

Syrian    missions,    monuments    of, 

lOI 

Tahiti,  labors  of  Henry  Nott,  125- 
6;  Bible  in,  182-3 

Tao,  Yung,  Chinese  philanthro- 
pist, 158-9;  quoted,  191 

Teaching  church,  80 

Tenney  quoted,  171,  199-200 

Text-books,  preparation  of,  and 
demand  for  books,  204-5;  ^"d 
new  industries,  205;  printing 
Chinese,  225 

"Thanksgiving,"  hunting  for,  107 

Tilak,  N.  v.,  quoted,  218 

Today,  Isaiah's  challenge  for,  37; 
Habakkuk's  message  for,  42-3; 
Jonah's  message  needed,  50-1 

Tolstoi's  works  in  Japanese,  21 1-2 

Tongue,  every  man  in  his  own, 
96-138;  see  Language 

Travels  of  the  Book,  the,  141-165 

Tract  societies,  work  of,  206-7 

Translation,  Bible,  see  Bible  trans- 
lation 

Travancore,  Maha-Rajahof,  quot- 
ed, 177 

Tree,  Leaves  of,  198-228 


Triumph  of  the  Kingdom,  70 
Tsin,  Wen  Shih,  quoted,  193 
Tsu,  Yu-Yue  quoted,  193-4 
Turkish  version,  137 

Uganda,  Pilkington  of,  132;  trans- 
formation of,  179-80 

Ulfilas,  version  of,  102-3 

United  States,  Bible  recognized  by 
founders,  150-1;  Bible  and  Con- 
stitution of,  172-3 

Universal  gospel,  85 

Universality  of  mission  of  Jesus 
55-6 

Vedder,  Henry  C,  quoted,  1 1 1 
Verbeck,  Dr.  G.  T.,  118,  119 
Versions  of  Bible,  see  under  vari- 
ous languages 
Victoria,  Queen,  quoted,  173 
Von  Dobschiitz  quoted,  170 
Vulgate  of  St.  Jerome,  101-2 

Waiting,  watchful,  68-9;  how  pass 

the  night,  69-70 
Wasaka,  MurataandAyabe,  118-9 
Welsh  get  their  Bible,  146 
Williams,  John,  126 
Williams,  S.  Wells,  no,  117 
Wilson,  President  Woodrow,  quot- 
ed, 162 
Witnesses  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Woman,  changing  status  of,  178-9; 

status  in  Japan,  186-7 
Women  workers  in  Early  Church, 

86 
Wood,  General  Leonard,  quoted, 

162      ^ 
World,  time  of  evangelization,  71 
Wyclif,  103-4 

Zechariah,  message  of,  41 


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